Beginning April 1, 2013, the Harmonized Sales Tax will no longer appear on the receipts of consumers in British Columbia. With the long and arduous journey to scrap the HST, the province listened and the old Provincial Sales Tax will replace the HST.
One of the controversial issues was the 12 per cent HST which was charged on consumer goods previously not charged when only the seven per cent PST was in place.
Come April 1, the following items which were subject to the HST, will not longer be taxed at 12 per cent but either the five per cent GST or the seven per cent PST:
Around the house: Electronic books, most newspapers, certain school supplies, most magazines, first aid kits, residential smoke detectors, food producing plants and trees.
Clothing, footwear and accessories: Adult sized clothing for children under 15 years of age, shoe repair,tailoring services, dry cleaning, used clothing or footwear for less than $100.
Food and beverages: Snack foods (e.g. chips, pop), prepared food, including restaurant meals, catering and event planning services.
Home services: Basic cable television service, local residential phone (land line), services to household appliances, cleaning services, home security monitoring, services to real property, landscaping, lawn care and snow removal services, computer software repair services.
Accommodation and travel: Short-term accommodation, taxi fares, camping sites, domestic air, rail and bus travel originating in B.C.
Home purchases: New homes, excluding manufactured homes, real estate commissions.
Health and beauty: Drugs and medicines commonly known as household medical aids, vitamins and supplements.
Memberships, entertainment and sports equipment: Admission fees to arts, sporting, cultural events; golf, gym and athletic memberships; cultural, sports and music lessons; bicycles; safety helmets; children’s ski gloves and boots.
Leases and rentals: hockey rink and hall rentals.
Other services include: massage therapy, fitness training, hair stylist and barbers, estheticians, veterinarians, accounting, interior design, wedding planning, funeral and delivery or courier services.
Tobacco: No PST on cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco (still subject to provincial tobacco tax) or nicotine replacement products.
