Paying tax on a private sale boat in BC

tortuga

Member
I am hitting dead end after dead end on the phone.
I have paid tax on the trailer when I insured it.
How do I pay the sales tax?
Thanks
 
Assuming you insured the trailer when you transferred it into your name, the tax you paid was the sales tax. If you're talking about the boat, do as Spring Fever says - keep your documentation and wait for the tax folks to catch up to you. They get notification when you register the boat in your name. It can take awhile - I've heard up to two years.
 
It takes 2 years and It will catch up to you.
I got lucky and ignored them. They gave up and sent me an assessed value. This was good....
 
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Sounds like a plan. They sure don't make it easy.
You need to be bilingual to understand what are saying to boot.
 
They are getting quicker than two years. I can tell you this with all honesty. If you want to be proactive, you can go to a government agent office and do what's called a 'casual remittance' to pay the tax. Funny thing about it is, they will still contact you by mail to ask for a copy of the bill of sale even though you will show it at the government agent while doing the 'casual remittance'.
 
If you buy a used boat with new power....... Wait. Then wait longer. Then wait again. They will assess the cost based on old power. This will be way lower than your purchase price. So your tax will be way lower.
Bought my boat 30K
Ignored all the letters, then the gov assessed value came 7.5K.....
Wrote them a cheque right away. No receipt required.
 
that why i didn't mention it earlier, but just cant resist mentioning loop holes. especially when the tax has been paid once already......now if anyone knows a loop hole on recreational vehicles i'm all ears.
 
Not 100% sure on this but if it is over 9.9 hp, you have to report the purchase price when licensing, within 90 days, then wait. They have been over a year getting the bill to everyone I know. They now have a new online system but count on Canada Post government effieciency to put off the inevitable by months at least. Not sure if the above advice is sound on getting them to assess but check with your CRA fisherman, there are a couple on the forum but they won't post so you'll have to take them fishing. $250 fine if your boat isn't licensed, I haven't been boarded but friends have. RCMP are a little zealous at times. http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/debs-obs-paperwork-paperwork_boat_licence-1898.htm
 
that why i didn't mention it earlier, but just cant resist mentioning loop holes. especially when the tax has been paid once already......now if anyone knows a loop hole on recreational vehicles i'm all ears.
I'm Alberta so hopefully I can put that off till I have a house built and a legal residence in bc.
 
If you buy a used boat with new power....... Wait. Then wait longer. Then wait again.

If you are suggesting to wait on registering your boat once purchased, I think that might not be legal. Besides, the previous owner likely would not want to have a boat out there still registered to them. I wouldn't! It may take up to two years for the tax bill to arrive, but the tax is assessed on the purchase price, which you must provide records of. If you do not pay the tax and wait, it will accrue late payment interest charges.

https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/oep-vesselreg-registration-menu-2311.htm#faqs
 
;) i didn't say anything about not registering the boat. this topic is about taxes after you register.......... two different parts of the government. your link is federal and paying PST is provincial. :(
 
I am hitting dead end after dead end on the phone.
I have paid tax on the trailer when I insured it.
How do I pay the sales tax?
Thanks

My last boat took 2 yrs to get the bill so far on my new boat I'm almost at year so we will see when it comes in the mail.
 
Keep all your paperwork...bill of sale, pst receipt, etc. I paid mine up front when I first insured boat, trailer, got trailer plates. Two years later got a bill, had to send in copies to prove payment already made. Typical government operation!
 
If you buy a used boat with new power....... Wait. Then wait longer. Then wait again. They will assess the cost based on old power. This will be way lower than your purchase price. So your tax will be way lower.
Bought my boat 30K
Ignored all the letters, then the gov assessed value came 7.5K.....
Wrote them a cheque right away. No receipt required.
So if you insured your boat, which most do, wouldn't you be risking that a sharp insurance company would check with the provincial government and pay out the government assessed value? In essence if your 30K boat is a write off, you get 7.5K?
 
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