CpnCrunch wrote: ↑Sat Apr 14, 2018 4:33 pm
Cessna 180 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 14, 2018 4:02 pm
if you fly your airplane into BC as a non-resident you do not have to pay PST to the gov't. You would on the sale of fuel, oil, etc.
and of course its not entirely legal to use a out of province address to avoid the taxman, but its rather unlikely that you would be caught.
not that any of this constitutes legal advice.
We're talking about importing a plane into BC, not just flying in for the day. If a non-resident imports a plane into BC, they have to pay the tax (there is an entire section in the Provincial Sales Tax Act on this, section 52).
If you have a way of legally avoiding the tax, I'd love to hear it.
I might be missing what you're saying, but why would a non-resident import a plane into BC? Only a resident would have to import a plane into BC (unless you're referring to clearing customs in BC when importing a plane from the US, where the CBSA assesses taxes based on your province of residence, not your port of entry).
If a BC resident imports a plane from say, Alberta, then of course they would be liable for BC PST.
Is there a legal way to save the taxes? Well yes and no. If the plane is owned by a non-resident corporation that has legitimate business activities outside the province and is based outside the province, then you'd be likely clear of PST. Then again, most people who try this just open an Alberta corporation which has no legitimate business purpose other than to own the airplane. If the taxman wanted, they could probably prove that the plane is actually owned by the BC resident and not the corporation. You'd then liable for taxes and penalties and fines.
Government's (especially the BC NDP) love taxes and they know how to find you!!