This article is from the quarterly Canadian Overview, a newsletter produced by the Canadian member firms of Moore Stephens North America. These articles are meant to pursue our mission of being the best partner in your success by keeping you aware of the latest business news.
Measures relating to the Quebec sales tax and e-commerce
The rise of e-Commerce created QST collection difficulties for suppliers with no physical or significant presence in Quebec. This situation negatively affected Québec’s supplier competitiveness, and it’s shorting the provincial government necessary revenue. The policy response to this was the Mandatory Registration System (MRS).
About the MRS
In its 2018-2019 budget, the Quebec government introduced the MRS (also known as the “specified registration system”) for non-resident suppliers. The rules require non-resident suppliers to collect and remit the QST on taxable incorporeal movable property and services supplied in Québec to people who live in Québec but who are not registered for the QST. Moreover, Canadian suppliers will be required to collect and remit QST on corporeal movable property supplied in Québec to a Quebec consumer.
To establish residency and location, non-resident suppliers can refer to a customer’s billing address, IP address or banking information. And customers who falsify this information could face stiff penalties.
MRS and eCommerce
Digital property and services distribution platforms (“digital platforms”) are now required to register under the MRS in cases where the digital platform controls the key elements of transactions with specified Québec consumers (billing, transaction terms & conditions and delivery).
Mandatory registration will apply to non-resident suppliers (NRS) when the value of taxable goods and services exchanged in Québec exceeds $30,000 a year. As NRSs registered under the new MRS are not subject to other QST provisions, claiming an input tax reimbursement is not possible. However, an NRS can register under the general QST if it meets registration requirements.
The Québec government’s goal is the make the MRS simple and easy to use. The return must be filed electronically on a quarterly basis and the remittance can be paid in USD and EURO.
The MRS comes into effect on January 1, 2019, for non-resident suppliers outside Canada, and September 1, 2019, for non-resident suppliers located in Canada.
For more information about the MRS, what it means for your business and how it may or may not affect how you do business,
book a consult with us and we’ll get you prepared for continued success in Québec.
Contributed by
Benoit Vallée from
Demers Beaulne. This piece was produced as a part of the quarterly Canadian Overview, a newsletter produced by the Canadian member firms of Moore Stephens North America.