Switch from PST/GST to HST. No problem!

Dealers in B.C. and Ontario need to prepare for a new harmonized sales tax, but it’s not as bad as it sounds

As long as dealers make timely arrangements for the switch, the change move will take no more than 15 minutes and pass by almost unnoticed, software developers told Canadian AutoWorld.

Developers aren’t new to the game: the Maritimes already have a blended tax.

“It’s ready to go; we’ve done it before with other provinces,” said Mike Martin general manager Quantech Software.com. “All they need to do is hit a switch in the software and it’s ready to go.”

Martin urges Quantech software users to give his tech support people a call “a few weeks before” and they will do the rest.

Dealers using ready-made forms will have to replace the GST/PST forms with new compliant ones. The Quantech software will then fill in the blanks, he said.

If they are using laser forms – in other words, the forms are generated in their DMS – then dealers simply advise the technicians, who will make the adjustments.

The company will be sending out notices to its dealers shortly. All of them will be taken care of. But like Quebec’s switchover to winter tires, either they do it early or get in line and wait.

Alain Sabbah, Reynolds & Reynolds’ vice-president of sales Canada, told Canadian AutoWorld that it takes only a “few keystrokes” to make the change. It’s that simple, he said.

Users of preprinted Reynolds & Reynolds forms will have to order new ones; those with electronic forms need only call the company tech support centre and tell the person on the other end of the line what they are using and the adjustments will be done.

Dean Anton, ADP Dealer Service’s vice-president and general manager, echoed the others: ADP software users will be able to collect the new tax on July 1 with ease.

Yvette Martin, support services manager for Quorum Information Technology Inc. said: “Basically, we have identified what changes are necessary and we are testing to see what it will all look like. We will make sure our solutions test out and then put together a plan for our dealers, so they will know what they need to do. Then we will let them know what the changes will look like.”

Martin said Quorum’s plan would also take into account deals that came into being before the first of July, but closed on, say, the second of the month.

The software developer is also working with the preprinted form suppliers.

She said the dealers could expect an email explaining what to do. Then the ball is in their court.

“Don’t wait until the last minute!” Martin urges.