Fans of the $24 case of beer are the latest victims of the McGuinty government’s fetish with banning things in Ontario, which also includes other products like pesticides, plastic bags, foods with trans fats and the traditional light bulb, among others. Enjoy your kitchen sink while you still can.

In a secretive move over the holiday season, the minimum retail price for a case of beer sold in Ontario was increased from $24 to $25.60. With deposit included, the lowest cost for a case of beer in Ontario is now $28.

This 6.7 per cent price increase eliminated the "buck-a-beer" price that many Ontario consumers found attractive and affordable, and which has grown to account for up to 40 per cent of all beer sales in Ontario. Consumers of 40 brands of beer sold in Ontario, such as Lakeport, Laker, and Carling were hit by the surprise price increase as they prepared for Christmas and New Year's celebrations.

The increase in retail price was not motivated by supply-and-demand issues, nor production costs or distribution expenses. According to the McGuinty Government, the decision to ban a “buck-a-beer” was part of its mandate to promote “social responsibility”.

I think it is simply another government money grab.

The McGuinty government has increased the minimum price of alcohol on at least four different occasions since taking office. The minimum price of beer is up 20.2 per cent and the minimum price of spirits and liqueurs is up 10.9 per cent.

The LCBO is continually beating its own annual sales records, seeing a 5.5 per cent increase in the most recent fiscal year. With increased prices, slick advertising campaigns and a record $1.4 billion in revenue expected to be handed over to the province this year, it seems like the major motivator here is getting people to spend more, not consume less. When it comes to 20 per cent price increases, I think the actual goal is to make money for the government.

Ontario families today are concerned about their jobs, higher taxes and food prices, skyrocketing property assessments and the declining value of their investments and life savings in the stock market. This is about the worst time to once again pick taxpayers’ pockets by increasing beer prices in our province.

Worse still, is that just a few weeks prior to hiking beer prices, the Premier stood in the Ontario Legislature and told me during Question Period that he had no plan to raise any taxes or fees during these challenging economic times.