Dear editor,
Any silver coin collectors out there?
I have been going into Canada Post recently and noticing they sell silver coins. I noticed they were priced with the purchase price of the coin plus tax.
I was interested in one of the coins and after examining it I saw that it was .999 pure silver. This aroused my curiosity, as I know from experience that any coins or bullion that are sold in Canada that are .999 or better in silver content are non-taxable.
I went home and called Canada Post and inquired why they were charging tax. I was put on hold while she checked, and when she came back she said that I was correct; there is no tax on silver coins or bullion that is .999 or better.
She told me to get the clerk at the outlet to call head office when I made my purchase and they would tell her not to charge me tax. I went back to the outlet and I saw they still had their coins marked with the purchase price plus tax.
The clerk told me she had called and said she could take the tax off my purchase.
What about all the other customers who don't know the law? What about all the previous customers who have made purchases? Shouldn't they be entitled to a refund of the tax they paid?
And what does this say about a Crown corporation not following the law of the land?
Makes you stop and think doesn't it?
Jack Hallum,
Comox Valley