How GST/HST works

The goods and services tax (GST) is a tax that applies to the supply of most goods and services in Canada. Three provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador, referred to as the participating provinces) harmonized their provincial sales tax with the GST to create the harmonized sales tax (HST). The HST applies to the same base of taxable goods and services as the GST.

Effective January 1, 2008, the GST rate is reduced from 6% to 5%, and the HST rate from 14% to 13%.

Almost everyone has to pay GST/HST on purchases of taxable supplies of goods and services (other than zero-rated supplies. Some sales or supplies are exempt from GST/HST.

Although the consumer pays the tax, businesses are generally responsible for collecting and remitting it to the government. Businesses that are required to have a GST/HST registration number are called registrants.

Registrants collect the GST/HST on most of their sales and pay the GST/HST on most purchases they make to operate their business. They can claim a credit, called an input tax credit (ITC), to recover the GST/HST they paid or owe on the purchases they use in their commercial activities.

GST/HST registrants must meet certain responsibilities. Generally, they must file returns on a regular basis, collect the tax on taxable supplies they make in Canada, and remit any resulting net tax owing.