Sales taxes in Canada
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Taxation In Canada, there are two types of sales taxes levied. These are :
- Provincial sales taxes or PST (Template:Langx), levied by the provinces.
- Goods and services tax or GST (Template:Langx) / Harmonized sales tax or HST (Template:Langx), a value-added tax levied by the federal government. The GST applies nationally. The HST includes the provincial portion of the sales tax but is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and is applied under the same legislation as the GST. The HST is in effect in Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Every province except Alberta has implemented either a provincial sales tax or the Harmonized Sales Tax. The federal GST rate is 5 percent, effective January 1, 2008.
The territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut have no territorial sales taxes, so only the GST is collected. The three northern jurisdictions are partially subsidized by the federal government, and their residents receive some additional tax concessions due to the high cost of living in the north.
Provincial sales taxes
Separate provincial sales taxes (PST) are collected in the provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba (retail sales tax or RST) and Quebec (Quebec sales tax or QST, French: Taxe de vente du Québec or TVQ). Prince Edward Island switched to a HST on April 1, 2013, on the same day that British Columbia reverted to a separate GST/PST, from a short-lived HST that was put in place in 2010 but rejected by voters in a referendum soon after.<ref name="PEI">Template:Cite web</ref> Goods to which the tax is applied vary by province, as does the rate. In all provinces where the provincial sales tax is collected, the tax is imposed on the sale price without GST (in the past, in Quebec and in Prince Edward Island, PST was applied to the combined sum of sale price and GST). Of the provincial sales taxes, only the QST is a value-added tax.
| Province | Type | Prov. rate (%) | Total tax rate (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | GST | 0 | 5 | There is a 9% tax on lodging and 4% tax on hotel room fees. |
| British Columbia | GST + PST | 7 | 12 | Template:Main Reverted to a separate GST/PST on April 1, 2013, with a PST of 7%, after their adoption of a HST in 2010 was rejected in a referendum.<ref name="PEI"/> |
| Manitoba | GST + RST | 7 | 12<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | The RST was increased one point to 8% on July 1, 2013. It reverted to 7% as of July 1, 2019 and although it was planned to drop to 6% as of July 1, 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> due to the COVID-19 pandemic the province has deferred the reduction until further notice.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There is a 5% tax on lodging and 5% tax on hotel room fees. |
| New Brunswick | HST | 10 | 15 | The HST was increased two points to 10% with an overall tax of 15% on July 1, 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | HST | 10 | 15 | The HST was increased two points to 10% with an overall tax of 15% on July 1, 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Northwest Territories | GST | 0 | 5 | |
| Nova Scotia | HST | 9 | 14 | Rates reduced to 14% starting Apr 1, 2025.<ref name="Nova Scotia Govt">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Nunavut | GST | 0 | 5 | |
| Ontario | HST | 8 | 13 | |
| Prince Edward Island | HST | 10 | 15<ref name="PEITreasury">Template:Cite web</ref> | The HST was increased one point to 15% on October 1, 2016.<ref name="PEI"/> |
| Quebec | GST + QST | 9.975<ref>As of January 1, 2013, Quebec officially changed the QST rate to 9.975. Previously, it had a nominal rate of 9.5 (Quebec raised the QST from 7.5 to 8.5 on Jan 1 2011, and then from 8.5 to 9.5 on Jan 1 2012), but the QST was applied to the combined sum of sale price and GST, making the effective QST rate 9.975. As of January 1, 2013, the rate no longer applies to the combined sum of sale price and GST, and is simply 9.975.</ref> | 14.975<ref name="QCRevenue">Template:Cite web</ref> | Books are taxed at 5.0% (considered essential goods for QST but not for GST). There is an additional tax on tourist lodgings such as hotels which is usually 3.5%. This tax does not apply in Nunavik.<ref name="QCRevenueLodgingTax1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="QCRevenueLodgingTax2">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Saskatchewan | GST + PST | 6 | 11 | The 6% rate is effective for goods and services effective March 23, 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Effective April 1, 2017, New Homes, restaurant meals and other prepared food and beverages are subject to PST.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There is a separate 10% liquor consumption tax. PST is not applicable for any exempt business in Lloydminster. |
| Yukon | GST | 0 | 5 |
New housing rebate
Sales taxes on new or significantly renovated housing used as a primary residence may be eligible to have a portion of charged federal and provincial sales taxes rebated. New homes valued up to $450,000 may be eligible for a 36% rebate on GST charged up to a maximum of $6,300.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Provincial sales tax rebate programs on new housing are offered in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and Quebec (for QST). Terms and conditions vary by province.
References
Further reading
- Bird, R. M. (2012). The GST/HST: Creating an Integrated Sales Tax in a Federal Country. Rotman School of Management Working Paper, (2115620).