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June, 2010

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 Be HST ready: Resources for businesses

                

 

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--( May 27, 2010) - The Governments of Ontario and British Columbia will each implement a harmonized sales tax (HST) that will come into effect on July 1, 2010 and will be administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

The CRA is taking steps to ensure that businesses get the information they need to transition to the federal administration of the HST.

If you are registered for GST, you may have received an insert in your last GST/HST return. It provided general information related to harmonization and highlighted the CRA's "Are you HST Ready?" page found at www.cra.gc.ca/harmonization. This is the place to visit for detailed information about the transition to HST and how it will affect your business.

From the page above, you can access links to a number of other helpful resources that are all designed to help you seamlessly transition to the HST. Some of these resources are:

  • in-person information seminars—sign up to attend a CRA "Transition to HST" seminar (new dates and locations posted regularly);

  • webinars (online seminars)—reserve your spot now, then log in from home or work to hear and watch the presentation;

  • video series—topics include an overview on the HST, more detailed information on the transitional rules for goods and services;

  • information sheets and technical notices—a library of information is located on the "HST Publications" page;.

These pages will be updated regularly, so the easiest way to stay on top of all of the information is to sign up for the HST electronic mailing list (www.cra.gc.ca/lists) or RSS feed (www.cra.gc.ca/rssfeeds) and let the CRA keep you informed.

You can also reach the CRA by telephone at 1-800-959-5525 (TTY 1-800-665-0354).