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The GST tax in BC is 5%, and the province adds a separate 7% PST on most goods and services, so a $100 taxable item costs $112 at the till. Both show up as separate lines on a receipt. Shoppers often ask what the GST part actually is, and the table below answers that for three common prices.
How much is the GST and PST on a purchase in BC?
BC doesn’t use the harmonized HST. The CRA lists it as a province with GST plus PST, and the BC government says PST is generally 7% of the purchase or lease price, with some exceptions. Both taxes apply to the price before tax. The PST isn’t charged on top of the GST.
Generally, the rate of PST is 7% on the purchase or lease price of goods and services, with some exceptions.
Province of British Columbia, B.C. provincial sales tax (PST), gov.bc.ca
| Price before tax | GST 5% | PST 7% | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $5.00 | $7.00 | $112.00 |
| $1,000 | $50.00 | $70.00 | $1,120.00 |
| $2,500 | $125.00 | $175.00 | $2,800.00 |
These figures come from our GST and PST calculator, which treats every item as fully taxable.
Why does the receipt not always show 12%?
Because PST has exceptions. BC says so directly, and its overview page leaves the detail to other guides. BC’s small business guide to PST lists liquor at 10% and accommodation at 8%, and treats food for human consumption, including basic groceries and prepared foods, as exempt from PST. GST has its own rules for food, so we won’t tell you what your restaurant bill carries. Look at the receipt. Really. If it shows a PST line, it was charged. If it doesn’t, it wasn’t.
This is also where our calculator falls short. It puts 12% on every amount entered for BC, so it can overstate the tax on anything that carries GST only. Use it for ordinary taxable goods and accept that the answer for other items is a ceiling.
How do you take the tax out of a BC total?
Divide by 1.12, because the tax was added to the price before tax and taking 12% off the total would remove too much. Don’t take 12% off. A receipt total of $1,120 isn’t $1,120 less 12%. Dividing gives $1,000, with $50 of GST and $70 of PST. Taking 12% off would give $985.60 and a wrong tax figure. The reverse tax calculator does this step for you, and the percentage calculator is handy for checking a discount before tax.
Discounts work the same way, and the order matters more than most people expect. Tax follows the price you actually pay. A $200 item with $50 off is taxed on $150, which makes the total $168. Worth a quick check on a big purchase.
What does a big purchase look like at the till?
Say Harpreet in Surrey buys a $2,500 laptop for his kid’s first year of college. The receipt shows $125.00 of GST and $175.00 of PST, and the total comes to $2,800.00. That’s $300 of tax, or a bit more than a decent month of groceries for some households. If the shop offers $250 off the sticker price, the tax is worked out on $2,250 instead: $112.50 of GST and $157.50 of PST, for a total of $2,520.00. Ask for the discount to be taken off before tax, and check that the receipt shows it that way.
Compare with the rest of Canada
What does the same $1,000 cost elsewhere? Alberta, which has only GST, comes to $1,050. Ontario’s 13% HST gives $1,130. Newfoundland and Labrador’s 15% HST gives $1,150. BC, at $1,120, sits in the middle of that range.
The CRA points out one more thing: the rate depends on where the sale takes place. A BC shopper who orders from a seller in another province usually pays at the buyer’s location, not the seller’s.
Mistakes and limits
Adding 5% and 7% to get 12% is correct here, because both apply to the same price. Don’t carry that habit to Quebec, where the provincial tax has its own rate and base.
Another slip is assuming the GST is refundable to you. For an ordinary shopper it isn’t. A business that’s registered for GST can claim back the GST it paid on its costs. If you earn a low income, the GST/HST credit calculator shows a different kind of help, a quarterly payment, not a refund on a receipt.
Where we got these figures
The 5% GST and its place-of-supply rule come from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s GST/HST rate pages. The 7% PST and the note on exceptions come from the BC government’s PST page. Both were read in September 2026, and rates can change, so confirm on the page before you price anything.
Frequently asked questions
What is the GST rate in BC?
5%. BC also charges a separate PST, generally 7% with exceptions.
Is PST charged on top of GST in BC?
Both taxes are worked out on the price before tax. PST is not charged on the GST amount.
How do I remove GST and PST from a BC total?
Divide the total by 1.12 when both taxes apply. A $1,120 total becomes $1,000 before tax.
Does every purchase in BC carry 12%?
No. PST has exceptions, so some items carry GST only. Check the lines on your receipt.
Can I get my GST back as a shopper?
No, not on a normal purchase. A GST-registered business claims input tax credits, and low-income households may get the GST/HST credit.
- GST, HST, PST and QST explained for every province
Which GST, HST, PST or QST applies where you shop or sell in Canada, the 2026 rates for every province, who must register and how to add or remove tax
- British Columbia income tax and PST in 2026
How British Columbia income tax works in 2026: seven brackets starting at 5.6%, the tax reduction credit, the 7% PST and the BC calculators