The Freedom Party of Ontario has been putting together a few clever YouTube ads in order to push their platform, and garner a bit more attention. (As it is, libertarians in Ontario can choose between the self-described “objectivist” Freedom Party, or the Ontario Libertarian Party. I assume vote-splitting is rampant.)

They got my attention, since some of the ads are actually funny, and promote policies I wholeheartedly agree. For example, their latest ad attacks what they are calling the “B.S.T.” or “Beer Sales Tax,” which applies only to beer brewed in Ontario. Here’s the advert, with the press release beneath:

Press release:

On Canada Day in 2010, Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government sneaked-in a new, hidden tax on beer and wine. A 2011 election plank issued today by Freedom Party of Ontario proposes that the taxes be eliminated. The plank is being promoted with a new pre-election video ad.

“The new beer and wine taxes were brought in quietly”, says Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever, “but, unlike eco-taxes, they also have been kept hidden by laws and ministry policy that require the taxes to be buried in the price of the products.

“The Liberals and Progressive Conservatives would have us believe that these taxes are imposed to encourage responsible drinking. That’s false. One cannot be discouraged by a tax if one does not know it exists. Moreover, the range of tax rates belies such a rationale. The rate for major Ontario labels is much higher than the rate for Ontario micro-brews, and there is no tax at all on imported brands. The tax rate on imported wines is more than double the rate for Ontario wines. These taxes are nothing less and nothing more than attempts, by the government, to favour some brands over others.

“We oppose the Liberal and Progressive Conservative practice of picking winners and losers. A Freedom government will provide a level playing field by eliminating the hidden B.S.T.. The benefit to the consumer? The price of a case of 24 beer will drop by as much as $5.76, and the price of a $15.00 bottle of wine will drop to as low as $12.92.”