Sales taxes in Canada - Definition and Overview

In Canada there are three types of sales taxes: provincial sales taxes, the federal GST and the HST in Atlantic Canada.

Provincial Taxes

Every province except oil-rich Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, and two of the Maritimes has a provincial sales tax, or PST. The amount of this tax varies from province to province:

• British Columbia 7% (Reduced from 7.5% Oct 2004)
• Saskatchewan 7%
  • The Saskatchewan side of the city of Lloydminster, which is bisected by the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, is exempt from PST by provincial law. This allows businesses on the Saskatchewan side to compete on a more equal footing with those on the Alberta side of the city.
• Manitoba 7%
• Ontario 8%
• Quebec 7.5%
• Prince Edward Island 10%

Quebec and Prince Edward Island add their sales taxes on top of the combined price and GST, so you're paying tax on tax

Which items the tax is applied to also varies by province. The Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and Nunavut do not have any type of regional sales tax.

Goods and Services Tax

Under Brian Mulroney's government in the early 1990s a federal sales tax, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced. It caused much controversy when it was implemented, but today has became a crucial source of federal revenue. The rate is 7% and it is applied to a wide variety of items, many of which are exempt from provincial taxes. In Quebec and Prince Edward Island, the PST is also applied on top of the GST.

Harmonized Sales Tax

When Jean Chrétien's Liberals came to power in 1993 they promised to abolish the GST. This proved impractical, however, and instead they opted to attempt to merge the GST with the PST in each province. Only three Atlantic provinces--New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia--agreed to this, however. These provinces thus have the Harmonized Sales Tax or HST, a 15% tax that replaces both the local PSTs and the GST.