Can I write off my car for business in Canada?

HST combines the 5% federal GST with a provincial component in five participating provinces. For 2026 the combined rates are 13% in Ontario, 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, and 14% in Nova Scotia since 1 April 2025. Elsewhere you charge the 5% GST alone, or GST plus a separate provincial tax. The rate follows the province of supply, not where your business sits.

For the 2025 tax year the filing and payment deadline is 30 April 2026. If you or your spouse carried on a business, the return itself is due 15 June 2026, but any balance owing is still due 30 April 2026. Interest runs on unpaid amounts after the payment deadline, and a late-filed return with a balance owing also attracts a late-filing penalty. Filing on time keeps benefit and credit payments flowing.

A refund is the tax already paid minus the tax actually owed. Add the income tax withheld on your slips to any instalments you paid, work out tax payable on your total income after deductions and credits, and the difference comes back if the first figure is larger. Large refunds usually trace to over-withholding on employment income, RRSP contributions, or credits transferred to you. Run the numbers through the CRA's or a commercial estimator before you file.

Multiply the pre-tax price by the combined sales tax rate for the province where the sale takes place, then add that amount to the price. In HST provinces it is one rate; elsewhere GST and the provincial tax are applied separately, and in Quebec the QST is calculated on the price before GST rather than on a GST-included amount. Zero-rated and exempt items get nothing added. The place of supply decides the rate, not where your business is based.

Most housing support is not taxable. Rent supplements, rent-geared-to-income subsidies and one-time housing top-ups are benefit payments rather than income, and there is normally no slip and nothing to report. Social assistance that happens to include a shelter component is different: it comes on a slip, goes into income and is then deducted, which affects benefit calculations but not tax. If you received a slip, report it; if not, check that program's own page.

Most of what you pay is settled before you ever file. Knowing how brackets, credits, payroll deductions and instalments work lets you set aside the right amount, claim what you are entitled to, and avoid interest on a balance you did not see coming. Owners need it to price work, register for GST/HST at the right time, and keep records for six years. You need the deadlines and claims that apply to you, not expertise.

There is no legal way to opt out of property tax on a taxable property; it funds municipal services and is owed by the registered owner. Relief is what actually exists. Seniors and low-income or disabled owners can defer payment or claim rebates in several provinces, farm and managed forest land can be taxed in a lower class, and a successful assessment appeal reduces the bill. Programmes differ, so apply through your municipality or province.

Tax debt belongs to the person who owes it, so a spouse is not automatically liable. Exposure arises in specific situations. Property or money transferred from the indebted spouse while a balance was outstanding can be pursued up to the value transferred, jointly held accounts and assets can be reached, and jointly claimed benefits or credits can be recovered from either partner. Canada has no joint return, so each person files and is assessed separately.