Originally Posted by
trilinearmipmap
You're absolutely right to be outraged at having to pay taxes on your purchases in Canada.
Of course you didn't make use of any public facilities or infrastructure during your visit, such as roads or airports. I imagine you didn't eat any food or breathe any air, or go out in public anywhere, so you shouldn't have to pay for the costs involved in making sure our food, water, and air are clean and safe, or pay the cost of policing to make your visit a secure one.
I am sure if you suffered a medical emergency in Canada you would never have shown up at a (publicly funded) hospital ER requesting treatment. And if you did I am sure you would have paid your bill in full promptly.
When I go to the USA I play by their rules, like it or not. Our rules in Canada include a reasonable level of taxation to provide a reasonable level of public services. If you don't like it, stay home.
I think you did miss the point of my issue... I don't mind paying, just "properly" let me know is all if a law is changed. Obviously Canada utilized the refund incentive to spur tourism... so if they took it away, I want to know... the fact it existed made shopping in Canada all that much more appealing to me. And by the way, do you know if non-Canadian citizens have the same right to Canadian socialized health care??? Please let us know as a short drive may be well worth it!
And lastly, 15% sales tax hardly seems reasonable to me.