Sales Taxes -> BC HST
BC Tax -> BC HST
GST/HST -> BC HST

BC Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)

British Columbia harmonized its provincial sales tax (Social Services Tax, aka PST) with the Federal goods and services tax (GST) effective July 1, 2010.  The Consumption Tax Rebate and Transition Act, which eliminated the PST and prepared BC for the HST, was passed in the BC legislature on April 29, 2010.

BC HST Referendum

The BC HST Referendum, done by mail-in ballot, closed on August 5th.  The results were 54.73% in favour of extinguishing the HST.  We are now going back to the archaic PST system.  See the results on the Elections BC website.

It was announced in a Ministry of Finance news release on August 26th that it is expected to take a minimum of 18 months to re-implement the PST system.

The HST in BC website did a good job of presenting the facts.  It is a non-partisan website.

On May 25, 2011, the BC government announced in a news release that if the HST is kept, the rate will be reduced to 11% on July 1, 2012, and to 10% on July 1, 2014.  Also, one-time payments of $175 per child will be issued to families with children under 18 years old, as well as to low- and modest-income seniors.

See our article on Why the HST is good for BC.

About the HST

The previous PST rate in BC was 7%, which, when combined with the GST resulted in a harmonized sales tax (HST) rate of 12%.

The implementation of HST in BC will be good for the economy, which will be good for job-seekers and consumers.  It removes a consumer tax (PST) which is costly for businesses and government to administer.  Even a small business (such as a self-employed person) which is not required to register to collect GST has to register to collect PST if it sells or provides any amount of a product or service which is subject to PST.  The government has auditors who must audit businesses, businesses have accountants who must report on and remit the tax, and too often, lawyers and the courts are brought into the picture because the Social Services Tax Act has many parts that are open to interpretation.  The implementation of the HST eliminates an entire level of bureaucracy, which is always a good thing!

There will be a slight increased cost to consumers to start, but because this is a consumption tax, those who spend the most will pay the most.  Those with low incomes will be affected the least, because they spend the least, and a higher proportion of items purchased by low-income people are not subject to HST, such as basic groceries, housing, residential energy, and insurance.

Another advantage of going to HST is that tax will no longer be payable on most used goods purchased privately.  However, used vehicles, aircraft and boats purchased privately (not from an HST registrant) would still be subject to provincial sales tax, which is being increased from 7% to 12%.  If an HST registrant purchases a used vehicle privately, the 12% PST paid on the transfer of the vehicle is not recoverable as an input tax credit.

Almost everything that was subject to PST when purchased new was also subject to PST when purchased used.  Exceptions to this were used clothing or footwear priced at less than $100, and certain used manufactured homes.  Most people were not aware that the Social Services Tax Act required them to remit the tax to the government when they bought used goods privately, or when they purchased something from an out of province seller.  We would guess that most people didn't remit the PST on this type of item, and were therefore in contravention of the Social Services Tax Act.

Input Tax Credits

Businesses which are registered to collect GST or HST can claim input tax credits to recover the GST or HST that they have paid, with certain temporary exceptions for large businesses (see below).  The change to HST will mean a significant savings and boost in productivity for businesses in BC, because:

The provincial HST Information Office has a website to provide facts about the HST.  The BC Ministry of Finance has a web page titled Jobs and the Economy - Facts About the HST, which also links to What's Taxable and What's Not.  The tables in the pdf document on that page show in detail which items are subject to a higher tax under the HST, and which ones are not.  

Other provisions of the HST:

Farmers in BC

Previously, farmers were exempt from paying PST on the cost of many items purchased for use in the farming business.  If a farmer is registered to collect GST/HST, any HST paid on costs for the farming business are recoverable as input tax credits. As most agricultural products are zero-rated (they are considered taxable, but the HST rate is zero), very little or no HST would be collected.  Many farmers are small suppliers, so registering to collect GST/HST is not mandatory, but would probably be to their advantage in order to recover HST paid.  See Who has to register to collect GST/HST?

General Transitional Rules for BC HST

Transitional rules are required to determine which tax - the existing PST (Social Services Tax) or the BC component of the HST - would apply to transactions that straddle the July 1, 2010 implementation date.

November 18, 2009 - New home sales - Grandparenting

Where written agreements of purchase and sale are entered into on or before November 18, 2009, and both ownership and possession of the homes are transferred under the agreement after June 2010, the sales will be subject to the federal component of the HST, but not the provincial component.  This would apply to sales of newly constructed or substantially renovated single-unit homes to individuals, and to sales of residential condominiums to all persons including individuals.

Sales of these grandparented homes would not be eligible for the new housing rebate or new rental housing rebate.

October 14, 2009

Certain purchasers that are non-consumers may have to self-assess the BC component of the HST on consideration that becomes due, or is paid, after October 14, 2009 and before May 1, 2010 for goods and services provided on or after July 1, 2010.  This would not apply if the non-consumer is a GST registrant and would therefore be entitled to an input tax credit.

Note:  Consumer means an individual who acquires goods or services for the individual's personal consumption or use or for the personal consumption or use of another individual.

A GST registrant in BC or Ontario should not be collecting the provincial portion of the HST prior to May 1, 2010, for goods or services provided in BC or Ontario, even if the goods or services are to be provided on or after July 1, 2010.  Prior to May 1, only the 5% GST should be collected for these goods or services.

May 1, 2010

The HST would generally apply to consideration that becomes due or is paid on or after this date, for property and services provided on or after July 1, 2010.

See also:

Residential Energy Credit and Rebate

For further information on the BC HST and the transitional rules, see the following on the BC Ministry of Finance website

Canada Revenue Agency information: