As announced in a March 1 press release, the provincial government has set the table for what it feels should be a smooth transition in the replacing of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) with the combination of Provincial Sales Tax and Goods and Services Tax (PST and GST, respectively.
"With just four weeks until reimplementation of the PST, businesses need to act to ensure they are registered and ready to collect the tax on April 1, 2013," Minister of Finance Michael de Jong is quoted in the release. "Businesses can take advantage of the full suite of tools available to help with their preparations, including the legislation, the regulations, plain-language notices and bulletins, one-on-one consultations, videos, seminars and webinars."
About 70,000 businesses apparently still need to register for the PST to ensure they are ready to collect the PST on April 1, 2013. They have three options:
* Online - go to: www.gov.bc.ca/etaxbc/register
* In person - go to the nearest Service BC Centre. See locations at: www.servicebc.gov.bc.ca/ - or visit our office at 1802 Douglas St. in Victoria.
* By mail or fax - complete the Application for Registration for Provincial Sales Tax (FIN 418) found at: www.gov.bc.ca/pst (Go to Forms and Publications.)
Additional tools and services available to help businesses prepare for the re-implementation of the PST include:
* One-on-one consultations with a government tax specialist.
* Online webinars and in-person seminars covering the general principles of the PST and eTaxBC.
* PST bulletins and notices.
* Videos:
- Returning to the PST - An Overview for Business
- PST in B.C. Online Registration
* Businesses with questions about the PST can call our toll-free help line - 1 877 388-4440 or email questions to:
CTBTaxQuestions@gov.bc.ca