Sales taxes in Canada

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In Canada there are three types of sales taxes: provincial sales taxes or PST, the federal Goods and Services Tax or GST, and the Harmonized Sales Tax or HST.

Every province except Alberta implements a Provincial Sales Tax or the Harmonized Sales Tax. The Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut do not have any type of regional sales tax. The federal GST rate is 5% effective January 1, 2008.

[edit] Harmonized Sales Tax

Main article: Harmonized Sales Tax

The Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) is used in certain provinces to combine the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) into a single, blended, sales tax. Currently, there is a 13% HST in the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. The HST is collected by the Canada Revenue Agency, which then remits the appropriate amounts to the participating provinces.

[edit] Provincial Sales Taxes

Separate Provincial Sales Taxes (PST) are collected in the provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island. Goods to which the tax is applied varies by province, as does the rate. Moreover, for those provinces whose provincial sales tax is applied to the combined cost and GST, provincial revenues decline or increase with respective changes in the GST.

Province rate (%) combined fed./prov. rate (%) note
Alberta 0 5
  • Alberta has no provincial sales tax
British Columbia 7 12
  • Officially known as the Social Service Tax [1]
  • Reduced from 7.5% Oct 2004
  • Alcohol is taxed at 10% [2]
Saskatchewan 5 10
  • Reduced from 7% on 28 October 2006 [3]
  • There is a separate 10% liquor consumption tax
Manitoba 7 12
Ontario 8 13
  • PST is usually 8%, but is 5% on lodging, 10% on entertainment and alcohol at restaurants, and 12% on alcohol at retail stores [4]
Quebec 7.5 12.875
  • Provincial rate is nominally 7.5%, but is also applied to the federal 5% GST so effectively 7.875%
Prince Edward Island 10 15.5
  • Provincial rate is nominally 10%, but is also applied to the federal 5% GST so effectively 10.5%
New Brunswick 13 *Harmonized Sales Tax includes provincial tax and GST
Newfoundland and Labrador 13
Nova Scotia 13

[edit] External links