GST Considerations For New Business Owners

The Goods and Services Tax or GST is a consumption tax which isn’t charged on most goods and services sold within Canada, regardless of where your business is positioned. Subject to certain exceptions, all businesses are required to charge GST, currently at 5%, plus applicable provincial sales property taxes. A business effectively acts as an agent for Revenue Canada by collecting the required taxes and remitting them on a periodic basis. Businesses likewise permitted to claim the taxes paid on expenses incurred that relate to their business activities. These people are referred to as Input Tax Credits.

Does Your Business Need to Register?

Prior to going into any kind of commercial activity in Canada, all business owners need to figure out how the GST and relevant provincial taxes apply to both of them. Essentially, all businesses that sell goods and services in Canada, for profit, should always charge GST, except in the following circumstances:

Estimated sales for your business for 4 consecutive calendar quarters is expected turn out to be less than $30,000. Revenue Canada views these businesses as small suppliers and are also therefore exempt.

The business activity is GST exempt. Exempt goods and services includes residential land and property, child care services, most health and medical services and a lot more.

Although a small supplier, i.e. organization with annual sales less than $30,000 is not required to file for GST Registration Portal Login, in some cases it is beneficial to do so. Since a business is able to claim Input Tax credits (GST paid on expenses) if these kinds of are registered, many businesses, particularly in the start up phase where expenses exceed sales, may find oftentimes able to recover a significant amount of taxes. This ought to balanced against prospective competitive advantage achieved from not charging the GST, this substance additional administrative costs (hassle) from needing to file returns.