Navigating the postal strike & the GST holiday
December 17, 2024
Latest News
Watch CBC's Tom Murphy interview Jim Cormier, the Atlantic director of the Retail Council of Canada. GST/HST holiday receives mixed reactions from shoppers and retailers
The Canada Post strike is over, but it will take time to get back to normal, says spokesperson - CTV
December 12, 2024
As if the Canada Post strike wasn't bad enough (especially this time of year), throw in the administrative nightmare that is this "GST/HST Holiday" starting Saturday, and we've got ourselves a hot mess.
DHBC has been gathering information, listening, reading blogs, websites...and we're still confused, SO we can only imagine how small business owners and their employees are feeling right now.
GST Holiday Resources
CRA's website is a good resource - they seem to be updating it daily with new information on WHAT is exempt and what is not.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has created a special website for small businesses with a detailed Q&A on dozens of commonly asked implementation questions. They have also created signage that businesses can download, print and display at their point of sale to explain the challenge to consumers.
Click the appropriate size for download options: Landscape | Portrait
The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia (RANS) shared the work they've done to prepare and extended an invitation to contact them with anymore questions.
The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) recently posted a story titled "RCC advocacy secures key GST-HST tax Holiday improvements for retailers" on their website.
Canada Post Strike
No matter where you sit on this topic, the fact is, it sucks! It sucks for everyone, but according to CFIB "the Canada Post strike has cost the small- and medium-sized business sector at least $765 million or $76.6 million each business day."
What we're hearing from our Members is that they have started using other options like UPS, FedEx, Sendle, and for local deliveries, Haligone.
DHBC acknowledges the hyperdynamic nature of the current business environment and works to identify the challenges and the opportunities for our Members. If you have anything to add to the information on this page, or if you have more questions/comments, please reach out - Jayme Lynn Butt, Communications Manager, DHBC, jayme@downtownhalifax.ca