The BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) has updated its policy with respect to the assessment price used for Lost Product Assessments within manufacturer sales agreements. Moving forward, under the agreements, the mark-up charged by the LDB on lost product will be based on the wholesale price for that product rather than the retail price.
This policy change follows the July 2020 changes to permit hospitality customers to purchase beer, wine and spirits at the LDB wholesale price, and is based on feedback from Industry.
As part of this change, the LDB will begin charging interest on the wholesale mark-up of any lost product for the duration of the audit period during which the loss occurred. This is intended to act as a compliance incentive for manufacturers to report sales in a timely manner. The interest rate charged will be prime plus three percentage points, in line with commercial standards.
The new Lost Product Assessment price is effective immediately and will be applied to any new and ongoing assessments that have not yet been invoiced.
The updated manufacturer sales agreements can be found on the LDB corporate website at:
https://www.bcldb.com/doing-business-ldb/sales-agreements.
For any questions about these amendments, please contact LDB Regulatory and Compliance at 604-252-6233 or by email at regemail@bcldb.com.