Two recent news stories highlight items that I have recently written about.
The first is a story by Vancouver lawyer, Tony Wilson: \”Why BC\’s Liquor Board Gets Away With Complacency\”. This article explains why \”minimum pricing\” for liquor (referred to misleadingly as \”social reference pricing\” in BC) is a bad idea. It simply results in lost revenue for the government, a windfall for suppliers and price gouging for consumers. The Vancouver Province has also now picked up this story: LDB Overpays Suppliers to Keep Liquor Prices High
The second is a story in Wine Spectator: \”In New York, Battle Over Wine in Groceries, Money Talks\”. This story details the efforts of New York\’s Governor to permit wine sales in grocery stores. Apparently, his plans were derailed by powerful lobbying from interest groups who liked the system (and the profits) just the way it is. Sound familiar?