Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Sales tax in Vancouver is 12% on most things you buy: 5% federal GST plus 7% provincial PST. A $1,000 item comes to $1,120. Both rates are set by Ottawa and Victoria, so a purchase in Vancouver is taxed exactly like one in Kelowna or Victoria.
What you actually pay in Vancouver
There’s no HST in BC. You see two taxes, GST and PST, and because both are worked out on the pre-tax price, you can skip the adding and just multiply by 0.12. The CRA’s rate table shows BC at 5% GST and 7% PST. The province puts it this way:
Generally, the rate of PST is 7% on the purchase or lease price of goods and services, with some exceptions.
B.C. provincial sales tax (PST), Province of British Columbia, gov.bc.ca
| Pre-tax price | GST 5% | PST 7% | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $5.00 | $7.00 | $112.00 |
| $400 | $20.00 | $28.00 | $448.00 |
| $1,000 | $50.00 | $70.00 | $1,120.00 |
Those rows match what our GST and PST calculator gives for BC. Enter your own price and check the split against a receipt.
A quick real-life one: Priya in East Vancouver buys a $250 pair of headphones. GST is $12.50, PST is $17.50, and she pays $280 at the till. Thirty bucks of that is tax.
Is there a separate Vancouver sales tax?
We didn’t find one. The BC government’s PST page covers the provincial tax only, and it says nothing about a city-level sales tax. We can’t prove a negative from one page, so if you’re setting up a business and want to be sure about local charges, check with the City of Vancouver. For the everyday shopper, the two lines on the bill are GST and PST.
When the full 12% doesn’t apply
This is where people get caught. PST applies to taxable goods, software and services acquired in BC, unless an exemption applies. Some things carry GST but no PST. Restaurant meals are a good example, and we’ve covered that split in a separate guide on BC restaurant tax.
Our calculator doesn’t know about these exemptions. It taxes every item in BC at the full 12%, so on food or other exempt items it overstates the tax. Treat it as a quick check for ordinary goods, and read the receipt line by line when a bill mixes taxable and exempt items.
Do visitors, residents and businesses pay the same?
A visitor pays what a resident pays. We haven’t confirmed any refund scheme for visitors, so don’t count on one.
A business selling in Vancouver has more to do. GST goes on the federal GST/HST return with the CRA. PST is a separate account with the province. The BC page says that if you need to report and pay PST, eTaxBC is the easiest and fastest way to file and pay. Check the PST registration requirements before your first sale, not after.
The two taxes don’t merge. A seller who’s registered for GST isn’t automatically registered for PST, so don’t assume one covers the other.
How does Vancouver compare with Toronto and Montreal?
Move the same $1,000 purchase around the country and the bill changes. In Ontario, 13% HST makes it $1,130. In Quebec, GST plus 9.975% QST makes it $1,149.75. Vancouver’s $1,120 is the lowest of the three, by $10 against Toronto and $29.75 against Montreal.
That’s for an ordinary taxable item. Exemptions differ by province, and a meal won’t follow the same math. You can run each case in the GST/HST calculator and the GST and QST calculator.
Is PST charged on top of the GST?
No, and that’s the part that confuses newcomers from HST provinces. The two taxes sit side by side, each on the pre-tax price. PST isn’t applied to the GST amount. On the $400 row that means $20 and $28, not $20 and $29.40. If your own receipt doesn’t match the table to the cent, check the rounding first, then check whether one item on the bill was exempt.
Which mistakes cost people money?
The usual slip is adding 12% to a price that already includes tax, which happens more than you’d think. If the sticker shows a total, back the tax out with the reverse calculator instead. On $1,120 in BC the pre-tax price is $1,000. On $448 it’s $400. Dividing by 1.12 is the shortcut.
Another is using 12% for a big purchase with special rules, such as a new home. Housing has its own rebates and exemptions, and a flat rate won’t describe it.
Last, don’t assume rates stay fixed. A provincial budget can move PST. Check the BC PST page before you price anything for a long contract.
What this page is based on
The 5% GST and 7% BC PST come from the CRA‘s GST/HST and PST rates page. The PST wording, the exemption principle and the eTaxBC filing route come from the Government of British Columbia’s PST page, read in September 2026. The table figures are our own arithmetic. No government body has reviewed or endorsed what you read here.
Frequently asked questions
What is the sales tax in Vancouver?
Most goods carry 5% GST plus 7% PST, which is 12% in total.
Does Vancouver charge HST?
No. British Columbia uses separate GST and PST.
Is there a city sales tax on top?
We found none on the province's PST page, but that page covers provincial tax only. Check with the City of Vancouver for local charges.
Is everything taxed at 12%?
No. PST has exemptions, so some items carry only GST.
How do businesses report PST?
The province says eTaxBC is the easiest and fastest way to file and pay if you must report PST.
- 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