Quote:
As a former Internet merchant, I applaud the European (and Canada) SIMPLE VAT method as opposed to the hodge-podge USA sales tax chaos.
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Hmmm... Why, yes the system in Canada is simple. There are only 13 regions you need to worry about. Of course, Alberta and the three territories don't have provincial/territorial sales taxes so the 5% GST is the only tax, then you have the 4 provinces where GST and PST are applied separately and the 5 provinces with a HST where they blended the GST and PST into a single tax—sadly, the PST amount is not the same for all 5. A bit tidier than the 4 GST/PST provinces, each of which have slightly different rules about what the PST applies. Then we can get into the offbeat provincial and territorial sales taxes (liquor, hotel rooms, etc., etc. ad nauseum).
Compared to the American federal, state, county, city and ghod alone what else, it is simpler. Simple though is not a word I would use for pretty much any taxation system.
BTW, when the old Federal Sales Tax was unhidden and became the GST, it was proudly proclaimed that prices would drop 5%. Oddly, that was rarely seen in the wild other for a short while for some large ticket items. So colour me unshocked that removing the 20% VAT did not result in immediate price reductions.