The GST holiday is officially on — Here are ALL the items you'll save on for 2 months
It's here, y'all!
Canada's GST holiday is officially here, and we broke down exactly what items you'll save tax on for the next two months in Quebec.
If you've been putting off some of your holiday shopping with your eye on Canada's GST holiday, the wait is over — it officially kicks off today.
For the next two months, this tax break will let Quebecers save some of the sales tax on a long list of essentials, including groceries, holiday gifts and restaurant meals.
The federal government announced the GST/HST tax break last month, promising to waive the goods and services tax (GST) and harmonized sales tax (HST) on a specific list of qualifying items from December 14, 2024, to February 15, 2025.
In Quebec, that means GST relief on a range of everyday items and festive buys — which would normally add an extra 5% to your bill. Since Quebec doesn't use harmonized sales tax (HST) like Ontario, New Brunswick and a few others, we'll still have to pay the provincial sales tax (PST) rate of 9.975% — but hey, it's still something.
Here's the complete rundown of everything you won't pay any GST on during this two-month tax holiday — starting today.
Children's clothing & shoes
- Baby gear like bibs and baby blankets
- Kids' clothing up to girls' size 16 or boys' size 20 (or kids' sizes XS to L)
- Socks, hats, ties, scarves, belts, suspenders, mittens and gloves designed for children or babies
- Footwear for kids or babies with insoles measuring 24.25 cm or less
Kids' diapers & car seats
- Diapers, liners, training pants and rubber pants for babies or kids
- Certified car seats and booster seats
Books & newspapers
- Printed books and audiobooks (no notebooks, journals, colouring books or catalogues)
- Print newspapers with news and editorials (no digital publications or magazines)
Food & drinks
- Candy, chocolate, chips, granola bars, fruit snacks, pudding, ice cream and other packaged snacks
- Cakes, muffins, pies, cookies, and other sweet baked goods (most savoury baked goods are tax exempt year-round)
- Salads, sandwiches, fruit and veggie trays, meat and cheese platters and other prepared foods
- Carbonated drinks, juice, flavoured beverages and drink mixes
- Bottled or unbottled water dispensed by the supplier
- Alcoholic beverages with up to 7% ABV, including wine, beer, cider and coolers
- Food and drinks served (for dine-in or to go) at a restaurant, cafe, concession stand, etc.
Holiday favourites
- Christmas trees (real or artificial)
- Toys for kids under 14 including board and card games, play sets, dolls and figurines, plushies, building blocks and plasticine
- Jigsaw puzzles for any age
- Video game consoles, controllers and physical copies of games (i.e., video game discs or cartridges)
Happy shopping, Montreal!
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