The government says it will provide partial rebates on the provincial portion of the HST to ensure the institutions won't be paying more in taxes after the blended tax comes in.
The rebates will apply to what the government calls qualified schools, universities, public colleges and hospital authorities, which were facing higher costs because the HST will apply to a broader range of goods and services than the PST.
The government says it will rebate 87 per cent of the provincial portion of the HST for schools, 75 per cent for universities and public colleges and 58 per cent for hospitals and health authorities.
The rebate scheme will be administered by Revenue Canada along with the GST rebate.
The B.C. Liberal government announced it would harmonize the GST with the provincial sales tax soon after the provincial election last May, triggering widespread opposition to the new tax.
