Archive for the ‘Announcements’ Category

Here are 7 things you must know about the HST tax changeover as an AmberPOS client.

1. Make Sure You Are Running AmberPOS V.3.10.6.24 or Later – If you are an AmberPOS customer who is on our annual support program, your software should have already been upgraded to version 3.10.6.24 or later.  Please check your the software version of your AmberPOS software to ensure you are running this version or later.  You can see the version number at the bottom right hand corner of your home page screen of the AmberPOS software.
2. AmberPOS will Automatically Rollover Changes on July 1st, 2010 – When you load up your AmberPOS software on July 1st, an automatic script will run and update your software for you.  There will be a prompt asking you to confirm that it is OK to do this.  Unless there is a specific reason why you do not want your software automatically adjusted for HST, please make sure you or your staff click YES, otherwise your software will NOT be setup for HST properly.
3. Tax1 Name and Rate Will Change From GST to HST – Your Tax1 field will be renamed from GST to HST, and the tax rate in BC will be changed from 5% to 12%.
4. Tax2 Rate Will Change For PST – The name for Tax2 will remain as PST, but the tax rate itself will be changed from 7% to 0%.
5. Tax3 Will Be Added – A new tax called “HST Rebate” will be added, and set to -7%.  This tax rate will be used for items that qualify for an HST Rebate.
6. PST Exempt Items Will Be Updated – All PST Exempt items currently in your database will be changed flagged with the HST Rebate tax.  This means that they will be charged HST at 12% as well as HST Rebate at -7% effectively reducing the total tax paid to 5%.
7. Some PST Exempt Items Will Need Manual Adjustment – Please note that while the majority of your current PST exempt items will automatically become HST exempt (flagged with Tax3), you must go through your inventory items and remove HST exemption status from any non-exempt items which were previously PST exempt. For example, if you had an inventory item for “Consulting” or any services related items which were previously PST exempt, those items must now be manually adjusted to charge HST but NOT to offer the HST rebate.

Please note that if you are not currently a customer on our annual support/upgrades program, or your software has not been upgraded to version 3.10.6.24 or later, you will need to make the above adjustments manually.

If you have any further questions, please contact our support line at 778-285-2855.

Related Articles: Is Your POS Software HST Ready?

We’re very exited to have finally moved into our new location.

Our new location is not too far from our previous offices, still located in Coquitlam, BC.

Our new address is:

Pacific Amber Technologies Inc.
Unit #103 – 86 North Bend Street
Coquitlam, BC
V3K-6H1

Our new phone numbers are:
Tel: 778-285-2855
Fax: 778-285-2856

Below is a map to our new location:

View Larger Map

BC Premier Gordon Campbell and Finance Minister Colin Hansen announced yesterday that British Columbia will follow in the footsteps of Ontario in adopting a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) as of July 1, 2010.

The Provincial governments are adopting the HST in an effort to boost major cost savings for businesses which will be able to claim HST rebates in almost all cases.

It is estimated that once the HST is fully implemented it will reduce sales taxes paid by businesses by as much as $1.9-billion and save over $150-million in administrative costs for companies.

The savings introduced due to the HST may however increase taxes paid by consumers.  Certain basic goods will be HST exempt, such as basic food items, children’s clothing and shoes, diapers, car seats feminine hygiene products and books, but a large portion of services previously not subject to PST will now be HST taxable such as restaurant meals, haircuts as well as real estate purchases.

With these new changes to our provincial tax structure imminent, is your Point of Sale Software ready to handle HST?

AmberPOS Point of Sale Software will be able to seamlessly switch over and integrate the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) when the changes take effect next July for both the front end modules such as invoicing of customers as well as the back-end modules such as inventory management, purchase ordering as well as reporting.

Identifying HST taxable goods and services and separating them from non-taxable goods and services will be a breeze with our fully integrated custom tax module, which will make it easier to handle a seamless switch over and provide accurate and timely reporting for the new HST.

For a free consultation on how upgrading to AmberPOS can help to make sure your retail store will have a smooth transition to being HST ready in the coming year, please contact us today.

* Source:  Globe and Mail