The goods and services tax[1] (GST; French: Taxe sur les produits et services) is a value added tax introduced in Canada on January 1, 1991, by the government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The GST, which is administered by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), replaced a previous hidden 13.5% manufacturers' sales tax (MST).
Introduced at an original rate of 7%, the GST rate has been lowered twice and currently sits at rate of 5%, since January 1, 2008. The GST raised 11.7% of total federal government revenue in 2017–2018.[2]
In five provinces, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Prince Edward Island, the GST is combined with provincial sales tax (PST) into a harmonized sales tax (HST). In Quebec both GST and QST are collected and administered together by the provincial government.[3] British Columbia had an HST from 2010 until 2013, when it was removed after a provincial referendum. Alberta and the territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut have the GST but no provincial or territorial sales taxes.