windward

Found this in the Globe and Mail about Mr Harper's new spending cuts :

"One of the biggest cuts hits foreign visitors to Canada. The Tories are eliminating the Goods and Services Tax rebate program, which allows foreigners to recoup the GST they pay while in the country."

Link - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../National/home

I'm a little unhappy tbh. I never bothered to claim back my tax the few times I have been before simply because my purchases rarely added up to much more than $50 on one receipt - though I promised myself to claim it back on a ring I bought for my ex.. by the time I hit the airport I had so little time to find the right desk, fill in the forms and join the horrendous queue for checkin I didn't bother...

But next time I would have! .lol.

Cookie

I just came back from Halifax via Toronto and was told that you no longer need to have the receipts stamped. Just fill out the form and post it off with your receipts (which reminds me - they are still in my flight bag!).

Souvenir

And then wait for a cheque in C$. I used to just sign the back and hand them over to my OH, who would then post them to her mum in QC for depositing into her account.

Biiiiink

The last few ones I had were in GBP drawn on a bank in London iirc, that must've been before May 2005...

I'm not bothered about the refund now I'm no longer eligible At least it'll be the end of those companies who put phoney forms at airports to skim a bit off the top.

Has anyone claimed a VAT refund on leaving the UK? I read the leaflet but got a bit confused about which retailers would do it...

windward

Never even heard of it. The better half got her year's Income Tax and NI back before she left England but I don't remember her getting any VAT...

The Smiths

I'm sure I've seen a sign for tax free shopping at M&S.

Atlantic Xpat

Ah yes, Mrs AX did that one year on her engagement ring when leaving UK for a trip home!

zmartin

I don't know why we bothered doing it the last couple of times as we never got the money back anyway!

Zoe M. x

woodmanbg

We just claimed ours back when we returned to the UK. Unfortunately a couple of the motel bills were in my name so it meant two claims (they wouldnt class them as one) and we both received cheques back in CDN$, I think it cost us something like £7 each with Nationwide to bank them.