HST is mostly good for business.

I continue to like the HST, and I do believe that in general businesses will be much better off. If business is better off, then by default so too are employees. Sure it is going to hurt in some ways. But… Not needing to deal with the PST Tax Department is a huge bonus. Getting back the PST component of the taxes as an Input Tax Credit is great. Not needing to file PST Tax Returns is a time and work saver.

My stern warning is: CRA is resisting any Input Tax Refunds that do not match your tax returns and what they think is right, they will audit to make sure, prior to issuing any cheques.

What this means is that more than ever audit ready bookkeeping is going to become a necessary practive if the businesses of this land hope to get their ITC’s.

We have changed the name LazyBooks to ARBooks…. pronounced R Books. There was a re-engineering required and we are now past the point we were when things got off track. We are looking at this summer for the Beta Versions of AR Books to be available. Audit Ready Bookkeeping that runs in any web browser, is going to change how accounting in Canada is going to be done.

Doing audit ready books will keep the stress out of audits and solve a lot of potential tax problems. ARBooks is cearly the tax solution needed for protection against the taxman.

Be sure to go to [1] AUDIT READY BOOKKEEPING AT   http://taxauditsolutions.ca/cms/index.php/audit-ready-bookkeeping/

Dan White

Refundable tax will make HST work

By Michael Hamer, Times Colonist April 15, 2010

Re: “If the HST will help you, please tell us about it,” letter, April 13.

As a business person, I’m assuming that you are registered with the Canada Revenue Agency to collect the GST. And that you are aware of the refundable nature of GST input tax credits (GST paid on various expenditures for your business).

Now look at all your current expenses and highlight the PST on those bills, including B.C. Hydro, telephone, vehicle repairs, office and material supplies, asset purchases, etc.

All of this PST has been non-refundable and factors into your “narrow profit margins.” Starting July 1, when the GST and PST are rolled into the HST, all those PST amounts become refundable input tax credits.

Furthermore, for any expenses that currently only have GST on them (for example, your external accountant’s bill, your Times Colonist subscription) the HST increase will also be refundable and not a tax that needs to be absorbed.

In fact, I believe you will find that your expenses will drop, due to the refunding of the equivalent PST, and that your profit margin will rise. You could win more customers by passing along these savings to the consumer through lower prices.

Of course, all bets are off if you are one of the minority of businesses that can’t charge GST on their sales or services (doctor’s offices, residential rental companies, for example). In this case, you will see an increase in your costs as the HST becomes applied to currently exempt PST items. In which case I wish you good luck.

Michael Hamer

Courtenay
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