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Why isn't the sales tax included in the price labels?

estcan

Newbie
Jun 13, 2018
4
6
Hello Everyone,

Coming from Europe, the sales tax in the Canada stores is extremely surprising.
Every time I buy something, I have to calculate beforehand how much I will actually end up paying?
As the sales tax is not included in the price labels.

Does anyone find it annoying?

Anyways, since it’s a new country and I would love to understand Canadians’ ways a little better, here is what I did:

1. I asked people on street in Vancouver about it,
2. interviewed a general manager of grocery store,
3. and spoke with a tax lawyer.

The end result is this video.

This little adventure helped me better understand the reasoning and bureaucracy behind this decision. Also made me better understand Canadas laws.

If you have already arrived in Canada, how you feel about the sales tax? Compared to your home country.
It's very small thing, but then again only benefits a small amount of the population.

here's the video
 

steaky

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Nov 11, 2008
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I agree - it's annoying.

Not only price tags and sales tax, but also when you dine in a restaurant you will be expected to pay minimum amounts of tips before you can leave the restaurants - otherwise someone will yell at you.
 
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Bs65

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Mar 22, 2016
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I agree - it's annoying.

Not only price tags and sales tax, but also when you dine in a restaurant you will be expected to pay minimum amounts of tips before you can leave the restaurants - otherwise someone will yell at you.
And then in a restaurant there is the dilemma whether you tip based on the amount excluding tax or including tax. Are you tipping the server or the server and province/government.
 
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foodie69

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Dec 18, 2015
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Technically the tip should be based on the pretax amount, since the service you receive has nothing to do with the tax
 
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cadgijoe

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Hi all, I'm moving to Canada soon. what is the typical tip amount? And what is the least amount (but not get yelled at)? Thanks.
 

zardoz

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15% is standard.
It's creeping up to 18% in some scenarios..

The lack of "what you see is what you pay" is really annoying to Europeans, where you hand over the cash listed on the sticker.
 
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cadgijoe

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It's creeping up to 18% in some scenarios..

The lack of "what you see is what you pay" is really annoying to Europeans, where you hand over the cash listed on the sticker.
I think "what you see is what you pay" is everywhere except North America, like metric system. These are probably 2 main things I need to get accustomed to.
 

foodie69

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I think "what you see is what you pay" is everywhere except North America, like metric system. These are probably 2 main things I need to get accustomed to.
To be fair, the only country in North America NOT using the metric system are the US.
Canada and Mexico do..
 
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Copingwithlife

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If someone gives me bad service , I have no issues what so ever # 1, giving them less then 15%, # 2, telling them why they are getting less than 15%, # 3 escalating it to a manager. However if they give great service I’ll give them way more then the standard. The knife cuts both ways . Bad service should not be rewarded with a good tip. Case in point , went to a restaurant, the back end, aka the kitchen screwed up my order, the server still got a great tip, she had nothing to do with the screw up or preparation of my order.
And for the “ what you see is what you pay”, it is what is , different parts of the world, different rules .
Case in point , I just got back from Japan . Was confronted with a Japanese toilet, not a North American version . I adapted pretty fast to what I had to deal with, I did not leave and try to find a North American version
You deal with what is the norm in the part of the world you are in, otherwise the world would be just one big cookie cutter place
 
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spyfy

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To be fair, the only country in North America NOT using the metric system are the US.
Canada and Mexico do..
Lol don't get me started. To claim that Canada uses the metric system is quite an overstatement :) It uses metric in some areas, but there is a lot of common areas where you would get nowhere with the metric system.

Ask a Canadian any of the following:
  • How tall are you?
  • How much do you weigh?
  • How much flour do you put in the dough?
  • How far away was that player from the goal when he scored?
  • How much wine do I get per glass?
  • How big is your apartment?
  • How big is the patty on that burger?
  • ...
Good luck trying to get a metric answer.
 
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foodie69

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Dec 18, 2015
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Lol don't get me started. To claim that Canada uses the metric system is quite an overstatement :) It uses metric in some areas, but there is a lot of common areas where you would get nowhere with the metric system.

Ask a Canadian any of the following:
  • How tall are you?
  • How much do you weigh?
  • How much flour do you put in the dough?
  • How far away was that player from the goal when he scored?
  • How much wine do I get per glass?
  • How big is your apartment?
  • How big is the patty on that burger?
  • ...
Good luck trying to get a metric answer.
Well.. I'm Canadian and I hear you..nevertheless, I walk and drive in meters, centimeters, kilometers. I cook in grams and kilos. And my doctor who is Canadian too, measures my weight and height metric. The lady selling German sausage at the supermarket charges me per kilo.
So you see, there is hope.
 

spyfy

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Well.. I'm Canadian and I hear you..nevertheless, I walk and drive in meters, centimeters, kilometers. I cook in grams and kilos. And my doctor who is Canadian too, measures my weight and height metric. The lady selling German sausage at the supermarket charges me per kilo.
So you see, there is hope.
There is hope indeed :)
 

sistemc

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Feb 2, 2014
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Lol don't get me started. To claim that Canada uses the metric system is quite an overstatement :) It uses metric in some areas, but there is a lot of common areas where you would get nowhere with the metric system.

Ask a Canadian any of the following:
  • How tall are you?
  • How much do you weigh?
  • How much flour do you put in the dough?
  • How far away was that player from the goal when he scored?
  • How much wine do I get per glass?
  • How big is your apartment?
  • How big is the patty on that burger?
  • ...
Good luck trying to get a metric answer.

And don't forget the most ubiquitous Canadian question:

How much snow has fallen?