Alcohol is about to get more expensive in Canada

The price of many alcoholic beverages is about to go up in Canada.

The two-month GST / HST holiday is coming to an end on Saturday.

Included in the tax break were many alcoholic drinks, generally covering everything except for spirits.

Beer and malt beverages were included, as well as wine and cider that is 22.9 per cent alcohol by volume or less.

Spirit coolers and premixed drinks that are seven per cent alcohol by volume or less were also included.

Spirits and liqueurs were not a part of the break.

Alcoholic beverages other than beer, malt, wine, cider and sake with more than seven per cent alcohol by volume also were not included.

In Ontario, the LCBO website notes that we are in the “final hours” of the tax break and consumers have little time left to save on more than 5,000 products.

The tax holiday was implemented by the government to help Canadians deal with household costs amid the high cost of living.

While consumers enjoyed slightly lower prices, business owners said it was a lot of work for little gain.

The relief period was announced on Nov. 21 and many retailers were scrambling to make changes to implement the cut when it was set to kick in less than a month later.

— With files from Karen Longwell and The Canadian Press