Changes to GST/HST - Canadian Florists Only
We'd like to wish all of our Canadian users a happy Canada Day!
Today is also the date that some significant changes to the way various sales taxes (PST, GST and HST) come into effect. Some of you will only have make changes to your FloristWare settings while others will have to update your software. It will depend on the province where you are located and whether or not you ever relay orders to other florists outside your province.
We would like to have gotten this information to you sooner but there have been two main causes for delay:
1. It Has Been A Moving Target!
We have been waiting for final word on how the revised taxes should be applied when taking orders and then relaying them to florists in other provinces. This is a surprisingly complicated subject and - according to our research - there is still some debate about the official interpretation. So, for the time being, we are going with the draft rules and will revise instructions/procedures again if/when anything changes.
2. The Changes Could Not Be Made In Advance
Even the clear cut changes could not be applied in advance of the actual July 1 date or it would have caused problems with your June calculations.
All Canadian users will be getting detailed instructions on changing their settings later this morning. For many of you this will be all that you are required to do.
Some of you will require a software update. How will you know? Just answer this question:
Do you ever take an order from a customer (enter it into FloristWare and charge them) and then send it to another florist (directly or using a wire service)? If not you are done - you don't have to worry about anything else. You are finished adjusting your settings.
If you do ever take orders and send them to other florists we are going to need to update you. The florists most severely affected are those in Alberta and Manitoba so we will be dealing with them first. We'll then continue on with the rest.
So - if you do relay orders to florists outside your province please send an e-mail to [email protected] today.