I just bough from Apple.ca and they charged me taxes!

Stephan936 · Jan 18, 2007

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone else bough from Apple online store in Canada and got charged for provincial taxes ?

Legally, if I buy from another province online and have it shipped to mine, I don't have to pay provincial taxes! This is the first time that I get taxes charges when buying online, did I get scammed by apple? (That's assuming it's not coming from QC, which anything rarely does!)

Stephan

macAttack · Jan 18, 2007

yeah its probly not coming from your province....

cwa107 · Jan 18, 2007

Not sure how it is in Canada, but in the US, if a company has an office or does business in your state, they can charge you sales tax. I'd imagine it's the same or similar in Canada.

MrsRed · Jan 18, 2007

I just bought an imac from Apple.ca & got hit with both taxes. I ordered it on Tuesday night & it came today & I was not here to sign for it so now I have to go pick it up tomorrow. They told me it would be here by the 29 of Jan.

coach_z · Jan 18, 2007

cwa107 said:
Not sure how it is in Canada, but in the US, if a company has an office or does business in your state, they can charge you sales tax. I'd imagine it's the same or similar in Canada.

newegg.com hits me with that all the time so i try to not order from them. to elaborate on this story my last newegg shipment was shipped from California to New Jersey and i still got charged tax because newegg has offices in new jersey.

two things you cant avoid man...death and taxes
-chris

mac57 · Jan 18, 2007

Is there an Apple store in Montreal? If so, they probably have to tax you.

D3v1L80Y · Jan 18, 2007

coach_z said:
two things you cant avoid man...death and taxes
-chris

A quick Google search shows that this is true, even in Canada:
Canada: PST-RST

Article said:
While Quebec does not have PST (Provincial Sales Tax), the province does have a similar tax called the QST (Quebec Sales Tax).

Charging Provincial Sales Tax on Online Sales

Article said:
in terms of taxes on your online sales, you are responsible for collecting and remitting:
HST for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland/Labrador
GST for B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, P.E.I., Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon
PST/RST for orders shipped to customers in your own province (unless your “home” province or territory is Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut or Yukon which have no PST/RST)
The government of Quebec appears to assume that out-of-province vendors will register and collect and remit sales tax. There is a reference in the Quebec Retail Sales Act to out-of-province businesses registering before selling taxable goods to Quebec residents (and once again, if the vendor has not collected the Quebec Sales Tax, purchasers are expected to report and remit the tax).

Stephan936 · Jan 19, 2007

I though that if it shipped form the US I wouldn't have to pay the taxes...

OK, then, I'll pay taxes!

And I'll die, if that too cannot be avoided...

Thanks for the info!

PS: I hope mine gets home faster too! Apples says: jan 26-feb 1st although the keyboard, mouse and spare battery has allready shipped... (not much use without the MBP!)