What are the bicycle taxes in Canada?

I’m looking at picking up a new bike in Des Moines or maybe Savannah, and I was wondering about the tax situation. Does anyone know how much I can actually claim back through Tax Free?

The only thing you can really ask for is a "Tax Free" form. That’s how you claim back a portion of the sales tax from 😁/or whatever they call it there.

If I recall correctly, it should be around 9 or 11%.

Yeah, I’ve got to say, I’m actually pretty curious about that percentage 😁

Why split it up? Why can't we just get the full 🤔 19% back?

Patrick King7 said:But why just a portion? Why can't we get the full 🤔 19% back?

I don't think so.

What a total scam. Why even bother?

For all the parts I bought from Alex at www.marathon.com, I actually got a 19% tax refund...

Patrick King7 said:What a total scam! Why on earth would they do that?

Why?? At this rate, I could probably buy a bicycle for less than that price.😂

quietskipper17 said:I managed to get a 19% tax refund on all the parts I picked up from Alex at www.marathonparts.com...

Thanks for the heads-up. That was exactly what I needed to know.

Gerald Gray64 said:Why?? So I can get my bike cheaper, obviously.😂

You missed my point entirely. I was asking why they don't refund the full sales tax, just a fraction of it. As far as I knew, you should be getting the whole thing back, not just some measly 10%.

Patrick King7 said:I suppose you misunderstood my point. I was asking why they don't refund the entire sales tax, but only a fraction of it. As far as I am aware, the refund should be for the full amount, not just a mere 10% or so.

If you handle the refund directly at the store, you get the full amount back.
However, if you use those "Tax Free" checks, they tend to take a significant commission—perhaps as much as 40 percent.
Some retailers might only offer that specific method.

Patrick King7 said:What a total scam! Why on earth does this even happen?

Yeah, it’s basically a shake-down by the Tax Free company. It’s all part of some shady partnership where you can't actually get your full refund in most places—instead, they just hand you a tiny fraction after they've finished feeding off you like parasites.

Betty Edwards22 said:Yeah, Tax Free is basically a scam. It’s a rigged setup where you can’t even get your full refund in most places because they skim off the top to feed their own parasites.

Do the stores actually carry those labels? If they do, just steer clear and call it a day. 🤷

Patrick King7 said:Do any of the shops actually carry those parasite labels? If they do, I just steer clear of them entirely, and that solves the whole problem 🤷

They definitely do—look for the Tax Free logo.
The real trick to avoiding the headache is simply asking right before you buy whether the shop handles the refund on the spot.
And honestly, that’s all there is to it. 🙂

16.5%
Guaranteed return on your investment.

Here is the breakdown of what I consider a total scam: when you generate an invoice, they just pull the exact amount you spent from your account, then snatch nearly 40% back in fees once you try to cash out.

Just some basic math here,
so if a bike costs, say, $100, sales tax can't possibly be $23 in the US or $19 in Canada.

I mean, that $23 or $19 figure only works if the sticker price is actually $123 or $119—if the base is $100, then the actual tax rate isn't 23% or 19%, it's way higher (like 29.9% in the US or 23.5% in Canada).
plus, you've got those middleman fees to consider too.

William Miller10 said:16.5%
Guaranteed cashback

So, you can move up to $180 without the IRS breathing down your neck.
On that $180, you get 16.5% back

William Miller10 said:So, you can bring in up to $175 without any trouble from Customs.
On that $175, you get 16.5% back.

Wait, where did that $175 figure come from? I saw similar numbers on some retail sites, but according to http://www.cbp.gov/Customs-Border-Protection/Carina/Carinski...Posta.aspx#P19, it's actually $333.
Is there an official article or regulation somewhere stating this? It would be nice to avoid unnecessary arguments at the border 🙂
.

Eric Sanchez11 said:Wait, where did this 162E figure come from? I saw similar numbers on some product sites, but according to it’s actually $333.
I'd love to see an official article or regulation stating this. It would save us all the headache of arguing at the border 🙂
.

Sure, it's technically above $333, but 162 should pass fine.