On April 1, 2023, the Federal Excise Tax will increase, based on the Consumer Price Index. This increase will be applied to the landed cost of products, where applicable. The new rates will be published on the Canada Revenue Agency website.

Key Dates

The new Excise rates will be applied to new LCBO products and Private Orders (Specialty Services) starting Saturday, April 1, 2023.  LCBO products that are continuously available and Vintages Essentials products will be re-priced with an effective date of Monday, April 24, 2023, onwards.

Vendors of LCBO products that are continuously available or Vintages Essentials products who wish to submit revised quotes, please note the following key dates:

  1. Friday, March 24 - Updated wholesale quote submission deadline
  2. Saturday, April 1 - Wholesale quotes effective
  3. Monday, April 24 - Retail prices effective
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Please note that retail prices will automatically adjust based on the new Excise rates effective April 24, 2023.  If a vendor wishes to maintain their current retail price as of that date, they must submit a rebate quote letter*, separate from their above-mentioned quote filing.  

The rebate quote letter must state: “The supplier will pay to reduce the cost of inventory on hand and on order”. These rebate quote letters must be submitted to the LCBO by Monday April 3, 2023, for processing and should clearly indicate in the title of the email that the rebate is related to the April Excise Filing.

In summary, if you choose to rebate, two separate quote letters are required:

  1. The quote required posting for April 1st based on the new rates noted above.
  2. The rebate quote letter to maintain on shelf pricing based on current pricing variables.
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*Rebate quote letters are ONLY required for products which will INCREASE in price above a desired retail price point.  If a product is working out to LESS than a desired price point, a rebate letter is NOT required*

Key Dates - Beer Price Change Schedule

The submission schedule for beer price changes will be modified to allow for the administration of the increase in federal Excise. Please use the below timeline as required for pricing updates:

  1. Monday, April 3 – Submissions and imported supplier quotes due by 4pm for April 24 change.
  2. Monday, April 10 –No price change submissions will be accepted.
  3. Monday, April 17 – No beer price changes; submissions accepted for May 1 retail effective.
  4. Monday, April 24 – New Excise tax rate and retail prices in effect. Regular submission and price change schedules resume.
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For brewers of domestic beer listed at TBS, LCBO, or Grocery

To maintain the current retail price, no action is required. The change in Excise tax has no impact on the retail price as domestic beer is purchased “excise paid.” If a change in price is desired, please submit the Beer Price Submission form.

For brewers of imported beer

To maintain the current retail price, a revised wholesale quote is required along with a completed Beer Price Submission form. The quote letter must state: “The supplier will pay to reduce the cost of inventory on hand and on order.” If no revised quote and Beer Price Submission form is received, the new Excise tax will be applied to the landed cost and the product will be re-priced accordingly.

Please note: For products listed at The Beer Store, no changes will be made to licensee prices or pack-up prices, unless requested by the brewer on the Beer Price Submission form. All supplier quotes and beer price submissions must be sent to pricing@lcbo.com.

Updated Pricing Calculators

Revised April 2023 pricing calculators for ALL products can be found on Doing Business with LCBO.

Questions may be directed to pricing@lcbo.com

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.