In it’s infinite wisdom, the province of British Columbia reverted back to a provincial sales tax (PST) on April 1st, 2013. And now the fun begins as when do you register for the PST? Of course, you want to check with your province for it’s particular rules. I believe Saskatchewan and Manitoba at the moment are the only other provinces with a provincial PST. We’ll talk about registering for the PST in British Columbia.
You should register if in the ordinary course of your business:
You don’t need to register if you do any of the following:
There is a $10,000 threshold for registering for the PST so, if your sales are below $10,000 then you do not have to register for the PST. However, if you’re already charging GST/HST and you sell a PST taxable service you should register for the PST as well.
You will need to register for the PST even though your service is not taxable, however, you sell a taxable product,
If your business is located outside the province of British Columbia and you solicit to sell taxable products/services to BC residents then you will need to register, collect and remit the PST on those sales. This includes items delivered into BC, even though the head office may be outside BC. If you’re an online seller, the BC government doesn’t consider you to be soliciting to BC residents as long as your website doesn’t specifically target BC residents. Of course, if you were an online seller located in BC this wouldn’t be the case. However, the Consumer Taxation Branch says this, “if you have a website and also solicit sales in British Columbia by other means, such as through targeted Internet advertisements, promotional flyers or newspaper advertisements, you are soliciting sales in the province”.
If you’re still unsure about whether or not to register, you can contact Consumer Taxation Branch at CTBTaxQuestions@gov.bc.ca.
Working from Home – How do the New Rules for Office Expenses Work?
When Should you Start Contributing to an RRSP?
Will Covid-19 Relief Measures Affect my Taxes?
Make Tax Time Less Stressful with These Seven Tips
Does Your Small Business Need a Consultant?
Tips for Improving Your Accounts Receivable Process
Should you Claim Business Expenses without a Receipt?
Controlling Your Cash Flow Over the Holiday Season