New tools and information are now available for businesses on the steps they
need to take when the Provincial Sales Tax replaces the Harmonized Sales Tax
next spring.
A
recent provincewide mailing to more than 160,000 businesses and new tax
bulletins posted online are among
the ways government is helping keep businesses informed in advance of the April
1, 2013, transition date.
Services
available to businesses with questions include:
- One-on-one consultations with a ministry tax specialist – submit a request online.
- Calling a toll-free number with questions about the new PST (1 877 388-4440).
- Emailing questions to CTBTaxQuestions@gov.bc.ca.
A
new provincial
sales tax notice, General Transitional Rules for the Re-Implementation of the
Provincial Sales Tax,
has now been issued. The
transition rules describe how and when PST applies to transactions that
straddle April 1, 2013.
They should be read in conjunction with federal transitional rules for the
elimination of the HST in B.C. The
rules outlined in the notice are
subject to the approval of the legislature.
Over the coming weeks
and months, businesses will be able to participate in online webinars and
in-person seminars. Government has reached out to chambers of commerce and
business associations to offer presentations with information businesses will
need to prepare for the transition.
Registration for
PST will start on Jan. 2, 2013. The government has issued a bulletin, Registering to Collect
PST, to help businesses understand whether they need to register.
Links to these bulletins
and notices, the online sign-up form for the one-on-one tax consultations and
the federal transitional rules, along with additional information about the
return to the PST, can be found using this Nanaimo Info LINK.
A new e-services option,
eTaxBC, will also be available for online registration, return filing and
payment and account maintenance. The new online service is one of the
improvements that will make administration of the sales tax easier for
businesses. This service will be live on Jan. 2, 2013.
As
committed, the PST is being re-implemented on April 1, 2013, with all permanent
exemptions. Consumers will pay PST only on those goods and services that were
subject to the tax before July 1, 2010. Consumers will again not pay PST on
purchases like food, restaurant meals, bicycles, gym memberships, movie tickets
and others, nor for personal services like haircuts.
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