HST still appearing on cable bills

by CTV - Castanet Apr 12, 2013 / 10:01 am
The HST is gone and businesses have transitioned back to the PST, but several viewers have contacted CTV curious as to why they are still paying the harmonized sales tax on their Shaw bills covering the month of April. Bill wrote Steele on Your Side to ask why his Shaw cable invoice for April 6th to May 5th included HST. He wanted to know why he’s paying the tax for a service that will be delivered after the tax was abolished. Shaw says areas outside of the Lower Mainland are on an advanced billing system where customers pay in advance for services they have yet to receive. Under the federal government’s HST transition rules, the tax is due on the date the invoice is issued and not the date of consumption. Therefore, if an invoice was printed before April 1st it would still have HST on it and customers will have to pay the tax, even if the services are being used on a future date. In Bill’s case, his invoice which included HST was printed and sent out before April 1st, even though his payment covers April 6th to May 5th.
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Don Quixote Note: Under the HST transition rules this is the required way to bill. My Shaw Cable bill Due April 16 was billed on March 24, 2013 and included the HST even though the period I am been invoiced for is April 16 to May 15.

The interesting thing to find out is how the similar month when the HST was first introduced was billed.  If any one has their July 2010 Cable bill they can check if the HST was applied or whether Shaw waited until August ??? (Please make a  comment if you can clarify.) My Shaw account only retains bills online for 2011 and beyond so I can't check.