The HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) in BC has been a topic of debate since well before it was even introduced. Now that the voters have spoken and HST will be repealed, focus is turning to how to take advantage of it before reverting back to the old GST/PST system. SmallBusinessBC.ca has a great article by [...]

The ballots have been cast and the decision made. The HST in BC has been repealed. Now, the government is presented with the task of reinstating the GST/PST mode. If you’re wondering what will happen now, you’re not alone. For many BC residents and entrepreneurs, questions abound. When will PST be re-implemented? Will we continue [...]

Whether you love it or hate it, the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in BC is soon to be a thing of the past. 55% of the 1.6 million BC voters who cast their ballots in the referendum opted to repeal the tax. So, the work now begins to re-instate the former GST/PST model of taxation [...]

See below for a message from Jason McLean, Chairman of the Vancouver Board of Trade on why he believes keeping the HST is beneficial for business in BC. ================================================== MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN of the VANCOUVER BOARD OF TRADE Support the HST The HST Referendum begins this week. You will receive a ballot by mail [...]

BC’s Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) has been a hot-button issue since it was initially proposed and even more so after it was brought into effect. The HST has been so controversial that petitioners were successful in their efforts to have a referendum by BC voters on whether to rescind the tax and revert back to [...]

Business in Vancouver has reported on the latest in the ongoing efforts to get the recently-launched Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in BC overturned. How will it play out? Looks like we’ll have to wait and see. What are your thoughts on how keeping or nixing the tax could help or hurt your business? Here’s an [...]

HST is a topic we’ve covered a number of times over the past several months, due in large part to the anxiety that seems to be associated with its implementation. HST has a lot of business owners scratching their heads. What will it mean for a particular industry? What if you serve clients in other [...]

Canada Revenue Agency Bulletin B-103: Place of Supply Rules for Determining Whether a Supply is Made in a Province. The Tax Detective We also recommend checking out Eileen Reppenhagen’s web site, the Tax Detective. Eileen’s site includes links to a wealth of bulletins, articles and other information related to HST. Fraser Institute – Countering the [...]

And, without further ado, we bring you the newly-implemented HST in BC and Ontario. Many a business owner will no doubt find themselves running into a few hiccups along the way when transitioning into the new tax’s sometimes-confusing rules, particularly with regards to place of supply when doing business with customers in other provinces. Have [...]

General rules are provided by the BC Government to help guide businesses and consumers in a smooth changeover to the proposed Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in July 2010. The HST Transition Rules specify technical details about paying the HST in the period around July 1, 2010. Overall, the HST would apply to goods and services [...]

CRA has compiled a list of notices and bulletins with regards to GST/HST. The list includes information sheets on transitional rules, along with question and answer bulletins for specific areas of concern. Download the bulletin list in PDF format from the Curriculum Services Canada web site.

Curriculum Services Canada has posted a PDF of a a webinar presentation given by the Canada Revenue Agency to help give business owners an overview of the upcoming implementation of HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) in BC and Ontario. The presentation covers many areas of confusion and concern and is a good primer on what you [...]

We read an interesting blog post written by the kind folks at the Your Business Today site, run by CompuMax. They had several questions about how to accurately incorporate the new HST regulations when billing their clients in the upcoming months. A CRA agent at the HST Answer Line clarified their questions, which may be [...]

CRA has produced several webcasts that will help existing GST/HST registrants and small businesses learn how to prepare for the transition to the harmonized sales tax (HST) which will replace existing provincial sales taxes and the federal goods and services tax in Ontario and, subject to legislative approval, in British Columbia beginning July 1, 2010. [...]

British Columbia’s transition to a Harmonized Sales Tax will be a good thing for most Penticton businesses, according to the B.C. Chamber of Commerce. Chairing a panel on the controversial new tax, Jon Garson, vice-president of policy development for the B.C. Chamber, said that the provincial chamber had been calling on the B.C. government to [...]