taxes

[Special K]

EB,

I tend to agree with Ned Nobody. The only time I've used the tax refund was when I stayed at the Vogue for 4 nights and booked directly through the hotel. Never attempted to use it when booking through priceline. Even so, the refund isn't anything to write home about. If I remember correctly it only came out to around $35 cnd. I thought it was going to be something significant but it was only for 1 of the taxes charged and didn't amount to much. In my opinion it's not worth the hassle.

SK

 

[alex_lean]

EB quoted
"The Canadians are getting a freebie from us, as we are subsidizing services like health insurance that in no way benefit us."

US residents can get a federal tax refund from goods bought and hotel/motel stays during their trip in Canada (within certain limits).

Canadian residents can't get a tax refund on anything purchased during their stay in the US.

I don't think it is fair to complain.

Also, you can have the form filled at duty free shops before crossing the border (which I do).
I justt need to have with me the eligible bills.
I wouldn't be too surprised if you can get the form at the airport as well.

 

[Special K]

Re: Thanks

Originally posted by EagerBeaver
SK,

I think you meant to post this in my thread on Canadian tax refunds but that's okay.

Boy did I screw that one up!! Not sure if there's a way to merge this thread with your original. My apologies.

 

[Happydan]

Re: It is fair to complain

Originally posted by EagerBeaver
Alex,

If both of us go to New York and Massachusetts to purchase goods and there is a sales tax, I do not get a refund of those taxes either, nor do I benefit from those services funded by that tax revenue. So there is an equal footing between us. But we are talking about Canadian federal taxes. If your fellow citizens have freely elected politicians who overtax them, then it is fair that they be overtaxed. However I do not have a vote in the matter, and I should not have to pay Canadian federal taxes. All of these artificial barriers to getting refunds should be removed immediately (see my other thread which is where SK meant to post). I think that I should be able to show the Montreal hotels my US passport and get an automatic credit posted to my credit card bill of any federal tax paid. However the process of getting a refund is very cumbersome and as noted in my other thread, the process is confusing and I believe the Canadian taxing authorities have pressured some American companies like Expedia into disqualifying refunds on GST for no reason.

Our history as Americans is that we do not like being taxed without a say. We threw King George and the English out of the US for this very reason. I may be paying taxes to support an occupation of Iraq that i do not necessarily agree with, but the officials making these decisions are officials that I elected or had a chance to vote for, so it is fair.

This statement seems a bit arrogant on your part.
Now it's my turn to be arrogant. If you don't like to pay our taxes don't come here. About your history of bieng Americans and not like being taxed wake up your in Canada my friend this is another country and you have no say in how we run our country. And the other statement not profiting from those taxes. Well they pave our highways that you drive on, our airports that you land in, pays our troops that do support you when it makes sense to us (Afganistan, Bosnia etc) so you do benifit from our taxes that you do not pay for anyway.

I am sorry but sometimes arrogance of others gets me mad.

 

[alex_lean]

EB,

I'm not sure you got my point (but I may be wrong).
I'll try to rephrase it.

When I go to Canada, I don't like to be taxed either.
(Does anybody do?)
But there is a way for me to get the federal tax refunded.
OK, not on the spot and maybe just about 7% out of the 15% tax I pay in Quebec.

When I return to the States, I get that 7% refund at the duty free shop just before crossing the border.
They do all the paperwork.
I just have to supply them with the receipts.
If nobody is queuing, it takes me about 5 to 10 minutes to go through the process.

If a Canadian tourist comes to the States and pay taxes, there is no way (as far as I know) that he can get a refund.

Of course, I'd like to have the full refund on the spot, but I'm thinking that we have an edge here over Canadians.

Note: They used to reimburse both provincial and federal taxes a few years ago. I don't know why Quebec decided to stop doing it. Maybe it's just because it wasn't reciprocal on the other side of the border...

 

[mike_morrisson]

simple really

GST/PST are consumption taxes, as anywhere else in the world. If you consume, you pay.

Visitors get a break, simply to promote tourism; they have no moral entitlement for refunds.