HST on Airfare

[stopsquawk]

I was looking at some airfares after July 1st (the date the HST comes into effect in BC and Ontario) and found some interesting facts.

After July 1st, 12% HST will be applied to the full price of an air ticket on any domestic flight departing from BC or Ontario airports. That's an increase from the 5% GST currently applied. The HST is an unprecedented tax grab that will result in yet another add-on fee to our air travel. Once again, our passengers will have to dig deeper into their pockets for air travel and none of that extra money will benefit stuggling airline companies or the airline industry in the least. The end result for a cash strapped public will be less frequent travel, hurting us once again.

Another tidbit: If you buy a round trip ticket from Vancouver to Calgary, you pay HST on the full amount of both flights. If you buy a round trip from Calgary to Vancouver, you don't. On the YYC-YVR-YYC ticket, you pay an extra dollar or so for the HST on the YVR AIF, but not on the airfare. So, if you want to travel YVR-YYC-YVR, buy two separate tickets. That way you'll only pay HST on the outbound sector.

BC residents, If you're as pissed off at the HST as I am, get your name on the citizens' initiative petition. Look for details at FightHST.com

[North Shore]

The HST fight is going to be a long and interesting road. I suspect that a few Liberal MLAs are going to have recall petitions launched against them as a result of all this..

[Naveed]

We've had HST on the east coast for almost a decade, I was under the assumption most of Canada already has had it, learn something new everyday, that and I guess I should travel more.