I discovered today that new bikes are exempt from BC PST, so only GST needs to be paid when buying a new bike. That is good news if you’re planing on buying a new bike as I am!
This was told to me today by a sales person in a bike shop, who proceeded to then tryto talk me into buying a bike I was still unsure of. So I walked out and will not be buying it there! If you’re buying a bike a bike shop should be happy to give you time and space to make your own decision. My usual bike shop is like that, so I am more and more minded to give them my business.
The reason would seem to be the BC government wishing to encourage people to cycle. There are other things that could be done here. I bought my first bike in the UK because my employer – Imperial College– operated a scheme whereby employees could get an interest free loan to buy a bike, which was then repaid through your salary so you never saw the money anyway – an altogether less painful way to do things!
Raising money for cystic fibrosis by cycling 