Return to PST Legislation Introduced
Monday, May 14, 2012 @ 2:33 PM
Victoria, B.C.- Finance Minister Kevin Falcon has introduced the legislation which will bring back the Provincial Sales Tax.
The legislation outlines a return to the Provincial Sales Tax on April 1st of next year.
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.
For businesses, the new legislation is said to be clearer and easier to administer.
The original provincial sales tax act was introduced in the 1940s, and countless changes were introduced over the years as adjustments were needed. That approach created a complex and convoluted tax landscape for businesses trying to comply with the tax.
The new act will bring changes together in one statute that will be easier to follow, helping simplify business compliance and reduce costs.
Improvements reflect recommendations from the business community and the Expert Panel on Business Taxation established in January.
New measures to improve the PST include:
* New online access for businesses, including the ability to register, update their account, and make payments.
* The due date for tax remittance and returns will be moved to the last day of the month to match GST remittance, simplifying administration for business.
* The Hotel Room Tax (eight per cent, as it was before July 2010) will now be incorporated into the PST-no more separate registration, remittance or returns, reducing paperwork.
* Businesses can register with their federal business number, making registration easier.
* Retailers will be allowed to refund tax to customers in a broader range of circumstances.
* Businesses that collect and remit tax will again receive commission of up to $198 per reporting period (typically monthly).
The Province also updated the Taxpayer Fairness and Service Code, first introduced in 2005.
The updated Taxpayer Fairness and Service Code reaffirms the government’s commitment to fairness and service values, and affirms taxpayers’ right to courtesy, respect, confidentiality, fair treatment, help, information,
dispute resolution and timely appeals.
Over the coming months, further work on regulations to fully establish the exemptions will continue and will consider the input received from business to ensure clarity. Additional consequential and transitional
amendments will also be required before April 1, 2013. The Province intends to publicly release a final proposed version of the legislation as early as this fall to support business outreach and awareness.
By October 2012, government will begin outreach seminars to train businesses on how the PST applies, and business registration using the new online system will begin in January 2013.
As previously announced, the return to PST will also see:
* B.C. HST Credit eliminated.
* B.C. Sales Tax Credit re-implemented.
* Basic Personal Amount Tax Credit enhancement reversed.
* Tobacco Tax Rates adjusted to keep price levels consistent.
* Continuation at 12 per cent of the tax on private sales of vehicles, boats and aircraft.
* The PST rate of 10 per cent on liquor will be reinstated with the re-implementation of the PST. Liquor mark-ups will be reduced to generally keep shelf prices constant.
* The tax on propane will be re-implemented. The tax rate will be 2.7 cents per litre, the same rate as prior to the implementation of the HST.
Comments
It took no time at all to impliment the HST what is the hold up in implimenting the old PST or is that the plan to get BC to pay for another year this is a farce and the Lieberals know it … Make Buisness pay for the re implimentation of the PST.
Surefire: “Make Buisness pay for the re implimentation of the PST.”
They already paid for the implementation of the HST and they’ll pay to get back to the archaic PST/GST. And guess who will ultimately pay those costs?
It’s too bad, we would be at 11% HST by now and 10% in 2013. The world didn’t end with the HST as many predicted. Now we go back to 12% PST/GST. We really shot ourselves in the foot on this one.
Be wary my friends. This legislation is to be rammed through without a proper period of debate. Of course the Chamber of Commerce will have a say. They were one of the groups that wanted the anti HST campaign killed in court despite about 600,000 BC citizens opposed to the HST. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts and pay close attention to what is being proposed. This I have learned in the past ten years of Liberal dictatorship.
“what is the hold up in implimenting the old PST”
That is easy …. the agreement that BC (and Ontario) signed with the feds. It provided specific opting out periods without penalty. If BC wants to do it sooner, no problem ….. just have to pay the piper in Ottawa for that little bit of freedom.
APRIL 1st…….clever.
HST……..revenue neutral. Wanna buy a bridge?
They already paid for the implementation of the HST and they’ll pay to get back to the archaic PST/GST. And guess who will ultimately pay those costs?
It’s too bad, we would be at 11% HST by now and 10% in 2013. The world didn’t end with the HST as many predicted. Now we go back to 12% PST/GST. We really shot ourselves in the foot on this one.
I just had to reiterate because it makes sense…
“It’s too bad, we would be at 11% HST by now and 10% in 2013. The world didn’t end with the HST as many predicted. Now we go back to 12% PST/GST. We really shot ourselves in the foot on this one.’
Less things are taxed under the pst system. How is that shooting ourselves in the foot?
JRold says “Be wary my friends. This legislation is to be rammed through without a proper period of debate.”
Rammed through? It’s already been almost a year and will be almost another year. The Zalm wanted it back within a month of the referendum, although he never offered any advice on how that could be implemented. That would have been ramming it through. And it’s going back to the way it was in the first place, which was what the anit-HST crowd seemed to want, so what’s to debate?
The 11% HST by now and 10% in 2013, wont save you a wooden nickle. Fact of the matter is once you put the 7% HST on those 110 items that used to be exempt, you get a huge tax increase.
For those people who think the HST was a good tax, I say **shake your head** You have been conned by the big corporations, and by the Government.
Simple mathematics tells you that big business and corporations cannot have a tax savings of $1.6 Billion, without someone paying this tax. The Government continues to get the same or more revenue, so the consumers get a tax increase of $1.6 Billion dollars a year. Its absolutely amazing to me that people who consider themselves intelligent, cannot get this HST fiasco straight.
The HST was a huge tax transfer from business and corporations to consumers. For Gods sake wake up and smell the roses.
The Liberal Campbell, and Hansen, and all their lackeys tried to push this tax through,however it failed, which was a great thing.
Look at Europe and the condition they are in. Look at their Value Added Tax, which is just another way to say HST/. These Countries are bankrupt, and have been reduced to a pile of crap. Their VAT averages about 18%./
Some fools and knaves in this Country would have us go the same route. If we did we would have gotten the same results.
Vanderzalm busted his balls to kill this tax, and did it using his own money, all the volunteers who worked to kill the HST used their own money, and spent hundreds of volunteer hours. Those in favour of the tax used Government money, or business money, or sat on their asses and complained and did nothing.
Suck it up. The HST is dead, and so it should be. We are not all suckers in this Province.
Sorry, but 10% HST would still cost us more than 5% GST and 7% PST, simply because of all the exemptions we get with the old PST.
The HST of course is easier to deal with, all they had to do was give the same exemptions we had before, and it would have been a winner. But, because the businesses get back their PST portion now, who then would have made up the shortfall?
I notice that they’re keeping the 12% on private sales of autos, boats, etc. That in itself is huge for a lot of us who can’t afford to buy new.
Sorry, but 10% HST would still cost us more than 5% GST and 7% PST, simply because of all the exemptions we get with the old PST.
The HST of course is easier to deal with, all they had to do was give the same exemptions we had before, and it would have been a winner. But, because the businesses get back their PST portion now, who then would have made up the shortfall?
I notice that they’re keeping the 12% on private sales of autos, boats, etc. That in itself is huge for a lot of us who can’t afford to buy new.
Its time for all you HST supporters to show us how we are going to lose all our business to Ontario now that we deep sixed the HST and they still have it.
Give us some specifics as to how Ontario is going to out compete us.
What a bloody laugh. I defy anyone to come up with a factual case where we lost any business to Ontario because of the HST.
Palopu: “For those people who think the HST was a good tax, I say **shake your head** You have been conned by the big corporations, and by the Government.”
That’s big talk from someone who was conned by Bill Vanderzalm of all people.
Great comments Pal. I agree with everything you wrote today. It is great to see that maybe now the HST is finally being extinguished. Just like Billy and me and thousands of others did canvassing and spending our time and money but WOW. Maybe it will happen. I was not conned by Billy. Nor were you or any of the thousands of volunteers that are going to see this HST EXTINGUISHED. And now johnny can tell everyone that matty was conned by Bill Vanderzalm too and matty can tell Elaine (again) that johnny’s calling me names. LOL LOL What a put down he gave you. Just shows you the type that like HST. BULLY What will I do after the HST is EXTINGUISHED? Gee I won’t have to shop in alberta no more. I can go to restaurants again here. Yay what a privlidge. Will save me 2 days on the road. So that will be ok. Looks like only 5 more trips there for me. I been going there every few weeks since the HST was RAMMED DOWN OUR THROATS here. I buy everything there. I really did not ever spend much here on anything that has HST. Many many things I never payed for here. So johnny looks like you gonna loose the HST soon. What’s you gonna do? Maybe you can give us the answer that Palupo asked for posted above. Betz you kan’t. Cuz you aint got no arguement except to say Pal was conned? And everyone else who worked with Billy? LOL LOL LOL LOL You got no right to say that. Cum on johnny tell us somethin worth lookin at here. You tell me why I should pay tax for these corporate pigs? If you can’t answer Pal then answer me. Cum on were all waitin’ for ya.
Thread killed.
“And now johnny can tell everyone that matty was conned by Bill Vanderzalm too and matty can tell Elaine (again) that johnny’s calling me names.”
Are you 15 years old?
No. I am in fact 58 years old.
Now johnny answer the question(s). Your choice to answer me or Pal. Which is it gonna be?
I know the answer to that one. It will be neither. Becuz johnny, just like his LIEberal buddies aint got no answers that would satisfy the most of the taxpayers. Just more of his garbage posts, like his latest one calling me a 15 year old. YOU really are a piece a work johnny. Why won’t you answer the 2 questions from 2 different posters? Cuz you is to stupid.
I really want to know why I and all other taxpayers in the province should pay the tax bill for these GREEDY CORPORATE PIGS? Why don’t you tell me THAT johnny?
Soon the HST will be EXTINGUISHED and the LIE-BERALS too. Like Ben says soon they can have meetings in a Fiat 500. Maybe a 60 VW Bug would fit them all in. Only 4 or 5 will fit in one of them. LOL LOL SOON the LIE berals will be EXTERMINATED.
Hey jrold: Greeks now have no money for gifts. Time to retire that axiom.
Any businesses which would run to Ontario because they save the PST have already run to Alberta long before the HST came in.
mattyc wrote: “Soon the HST will be EXTINGUISHED and the LIE-BERALS too. Like Ben says soon they can have meetings in a Fiat 500. Maybe a 60 VW Bug would fit them all in. Only 4 or 5 will fit in one of them. LOL LOL SOON the LIE berals will be EXTERMINATED”
Yeah but they will still have to pay 12% for that fiat or bug.
This is bull*&^t. I can’t speak for everyone, but one of the main reasons why I hated the HST is because I cannot buy a used car privately without paying full taxes like at a dealership. I am not a person who can afford to go out and buy new all the time. Hunting for a good used car and getting a decent deal with only having to pay one tax in the past I was ok with…but not 12%. !!! I plan to send off the proverbial letter to my mla about that crap. Not that it will do any good.
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