"Derek Lyons" > wrote in message
...
> "Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote:
> >While GST refunds are available, there are certain rules one must
remember.
> >Each receipt submitted for a refund must be $50 or more--pre-taxes.
>
> Huh? You total the receipt, and hand 'em over with the form.
>
from
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/tax/nonre...tml#P647_29001

----begin paste----
What is the minimum amount of tax per receipt that must be charged before
the receipt is eligible?

Answer:

In regards to eligible accommodation, in order to qualify for a refund of
the GST/HST or TVQ (Quebec), there is no minimum amount of tax that needs to
be charged before the receipt becomes eligible.

In regards to goods, however, in order to qualify for a refund of the
GST/HST or TVQ, the purchase amount (before taxes) for each individual
receipt must be at least CAN$50.

Please remember that all your elegible receipts must add up to at least
CAN$200 (before taxes) in order to qualify and apply for a tax refund.

----end paste----

> >From what I remember, restaurant meals *do not* qualify, though hotel
bills do.
>
> Huh? If you paid GST, you can get a refund, regardless of what the
> receipt is for.
>

I asterisked the important part:

----begin paste----
Visitors who wish to claim a refund of the goods and services tax (GST)
and/or, the harmonized sales tax (HST) which they paid on eligible goods,
***must provide proof that they exported their goods from Canada***. This is
referred to as Proof of Export.
and from
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/...sfortherefund?

There is NO REFUND of the tax paid on such items as: entertainment;
***meals***; alcohol; tobacco products; services such as dry cleaning and
hairdressing; air, train, and bus tickets; car rentals; automotive fuels;
rentals of travel trailers and other recreational vehicles; cruise ship
cabins; train berths; or timeshare arrangements. This is not an
all-inclusive list.
In addition, any goods that you consume or leave in Canada do not qualify
for this refund.

----end paste----

Therefore, restaurant meals would not qualify since they cannot be exported
and they are on the list of items for which no refund is given.

It should be said, however, that the people who work at the GST refund
stations at Duty Free shops may not be following the rules to the letter
(last I heard, they were often employees of the duty free shop, not of the
federal government). If you were to send your refund application in by
mail, however, someone would go through the receipts and eliminate any which
would not qualify. Thus you may end up having your entire refund rejected
if the final total is less than $200.

> >Finally, keep in mind you will receive a cheque in Canadian funds as
> >payment. If your bank charges a fee for cashing and exchanging foreign
> >cheques, it may not be to your benefit to even apply.
>
> Huh? Here at the WA/BC border you get Canadian cash, and it's a simple
> matter for the clerks at the duty-free to swap it for US cash. (The
> GST refund station and the Duty free are in the same building.)
> Usually I spend the refund at the duty-free.
>
> D.

That's why I wrote "If you're driving across the US-Cdn border, you can have
the whole thing processed at the border. It's much easier that way."
However, if you are not traveling by car, or if you do not stop at one of
the duty free shops that offers cash-back service, you cannot have your
refund processed there. Also, you can have your receipts validated at the
airport, but you cannot obtain your refund.

----begin paste----
PROOF OF EXPORT
Commencing April 1, 2001, Proof of Export will begin at Canada's nine major
international airports. Non-resident visitors departing from one of these
airports, must have their goods available for inspection and their original
receipts validated by a Canada Customs official as they leave Canada.

Proof of Export began at land borders on February 1, 1999. Non-resident
visitors who depart Canada by private vehicle or charter bus tour must have
their goods available for inspection and their original receipts validated
as they leave Canada. These procedures are required to ensure that the
goods, for which a rebate is claimed, are exported from Canada.

----end paste----

The application for the refund can also be downloaded from the site he

http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/E/pbg/gf/...gst176-03e.pdf

BTW, I word for CCRA for 5-6 months every year. I think I know what I'm
talking about.

rona