BC HST Credit

The following information is based on proposed measures announced by the Province of British Columbia on July 23, 2009, but that have not yet been enacted by the provincial Parliament.

The Province of British Columbia announced on July 23, 2009, that it will harmonize its provincial sales tax with the federal goods and services tax, effective July 1, 2010. To help offset the impact of the new tax on low‑income residents of B.C., the province is introducing a new refundable credit program called the BC HST Credit (BCHSTC). The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will administer this credit on behalf of the Province of British Columbia.

The BCHSTC is an ongoing non‑taxable quarterly payment, which will be integrated with the goods and services tax (GST) credit and the BC low income climate action tax credit payments, starting in July 2010.

Questions and answers

To get more information and to find out if you are eligible to apply, please see Questions and answers.

Enquiries service

A toll‑free enquiries service is available at the following numbers:

1-800-959-1953 (for service in English)
1-800-959-1954 (for service in French)

More information

For more information on the BCHSTC, please visit the BCHSTC Web site or contact the B.C. Ministry of Finance:

Toll-free at: 1-877-387-3332
Or by email at: ITBTaxQuestions@gov.bc.ca