B.C. lifts lid on how much wine people can import tax-free from other provinces
July 12, 2012 - 3:36 PM
VICTORIA - B.C. has thrown down the gauntlet to other provinces by lifting the lid on how much wine individuals can import.
B.C. recently allowed people to import a single case of wine tax-free from other provinces, but the minister in charge, Rich Coleman, says that limit has now been removed.
He says the imported wine must be made from 100 per cent Canadian grapes and must be used for personal consumption only.
The wine can be ordered on the Internet and shipped directly to the customer.
Coleman says B.C. may be taking a gamble as the first province to do this, but the provincial wine industry is behind the idea, and he's urging other provinces to open their borders to wine imports from B.C.
Last month, Parliament scrapped a law dating back to the prohibition era that restricted the movement of wine between provinces.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012