GST holiday will be a nightmare say small business owners [Video]

The federal government’s plan to temporarily stop collection of the goods and services tax (GST) on some consumer products is causing some big holiday headaches for Canada’s small business owners.

The tax break, which passed in the House of Commons late Thursday, is scheduled to take effect on Dec. 14, 2024 and last until Feb. 15, 2025.

It would apply to dozens of items, including certain groceries, alcoholic beverages, restaurant meals, snacks, children’s clothing and toys, car seats, books, print newspapers, puzzles and Christmas trees.

But small business owners who spoke to Global News, describe the plan as “an IT nightmare.”

“We’re coming into the busiest time of the year. We see a huge retail spike in sales.  So we’re busy doing a lot of things”, says Yousef Traya the owner of Bridgeland Market.

“Now we have to pivot to figure out what to do with this new GST mandate. It’s great. We want people to save money. It’s awesome. …