Paul Juzkow – Page 3 – Luna Systems Corporation’s Blog

PST re-implementation transition rules -you lose when buying future event tickets!

The PST tax will be re-introduced in British Columbia, Canada on April 1, 2013. Events, such as football and hockey games, should not have PST applied after this date. However, as I found out, if you pay your invoice before April 1, 2013 you will be charged PST and you cannot get it back! So, all the BC Lions Season’s Ticket holders who renew before April will get dinged PST! This potentially is millions of dollars of overtaxation for the provincial government!

I emailed the PST department about this and how to get a refund. I received a reply. Here is what they said: “As a general matter, whether HST or Goods and Services Tax/PST applies during the transitional period depends on when the invoice is paid or becomes payable, whichever comes first. ”

They also referred me to 2 documents:

1) Provincial PST transition rules: Notice 2012-010, General Transitional Rules for the Re-Implementation of
the Provincial Sales Tax.

2) Federal HST transition rules: HST Transition rules.

There was no mention of a refund! So, it appears that I am out of luck and out the 7% extra I paid!

So, if you are a business in British Columbia that purchases future event (e.g. BC Lions Season’s Tickets) try to pay for them after April 1, 2013. It will save you 7% which could be significant.

Paul Juzkow

President, Luna Systems Corporation

Here is the complete response that I received:

Thank you for your enquiry.

British Columbia’s provincial sales tax (PST) will be re-implemented effective April 1, 2013, at a general tax rate of seven percent. The draft proposed consolidation of the Provincial Sales Tax Act (PSTA) is available at http://www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/documents_library/legislation/unofficialPSTstatute.pdf. The draft proposed consolidation of the PSTA provides a preview of what the re-implemented PST might generally look like as of April 1, 2013 if the proposed amendments are introduced into the Legislative Assembly and approved without further amendment. The Ministry of Finance continues to work on developing the regulations and consequential amendments that complete the legislative package required to re-implement the PST substantially as it was before harmonization, including the permanent exemptions.

Please note that we cannot provide a ruling on how the PSTA or its regulations will apply until such time that the legislation and regulations are finalized.

Please also note that there are PST and HST transitional provisions that may affect your purchase. The general transitional rules for the PST describe how and when the PST applies to transactions that straddle April 1, 2013, whereas the transitional rules for the HST describe how and when the HST applies to transactions that straddle April 1, 2013.

The federal and provincial rules must be read together. The general transitional rules for PST generally mirror the federal transitional rules. As a general matter, whether HST or Goods and Services Tax/PST applies during the transitional period depends on when the invoice is paid or becomes payable, whichever comes first.

General transitional rules which describe how and when PST will apply to transactions that straddle April 1, 2013 are outlined in Notice 2012-010, General Transitional Rules for the Re-Implementation of the Provincial Sales Tax. The information in this notice is provided for convenience and guidance, and is not intended to replace legislation. The legislation to implement these rules is still being finalized and requires the approval of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

The federal Department of Finance is responsible for the HST transitional rules which govern how the HST will apply during the transition period. More information on the proposed HST transitional rules can be found at http://www.fin.gc.ca/n12/12-017-eng.asp. The rules will be administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), which can be reached at 1-800-959-5525.

To receive updates about the re-implementation of the PST, please visit the following web page and click the button to “Subscribe To Receive Updates” which is located near the top right of the page: http://www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/msbr/whats_new/consumer_taxes/whatsnew.htm.

More information on British Columbia’s return to the PST can be found in a new series of PST bulletins and notices, available on the Ministry’s website at http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=0CE539AD86F44033A1C531B9B597EA86

This correspondence describes how the Ministry interprets the relevant tax provisions for information purposes only. This response may be impacted by variations in circumstance, subsequent changes to legislation or subsequent court decisions. The Ministry is not responsible for updating this response if there are any subsequent changes to the law. This response is provided as an aid to understanding the legislation and is not intended to replace the legislation.

Tax Inquiries Ministry of Finance www.gov.bc.ca/consumertaxes

How to use PHP includes in HTML files?

Originally, I built my web sites with just plain HTML. To make it easier and not have to duplicate HTML I used include files to include common HTML that I had on my web sites, e.g. Google Analytics code, Copyright, internal and external links, contact information. For example, the html include syntax I used to include the common Google Analytics code was:

<!–#include virtual=”includeanalytics.html” –>

However, I wanted more functionality on my web sites, so I started using PHP 5.3 on my host (GoDaddy). When I set up PHP to run for my websites, all my includes stopped working. This is because the .html files were being interpreted by the PHP engine. To fix this, I had to use PHP include syntax, e.g.

<?php include(‘includeanalytics.html’); ?>

After using this syntax, my includes worked correctly. So, this is how to use PHP includes in HTML files.

How to change GoDaddy session timeout limit?

I use GoDaddy for my hosting. Quite frequently, I will sign in to GoDaddy, uploaded some changed files, then test the changes, make updates, then re-upload the files. I found that if I keep the FTP File Manager open, then I can continue to upload files without my session timing out. However, if I go to do anything else in my account, I usually get a timeout message. I don’t know for sure, but the timeout limit for GoDaddy seems to be around 15 minutes. If you are on some GoDaddy screens it will pop-up a message saying that it is timing out and give you the option to extend your session. Frequently though, I don’t see this pop-up and have to logon again. The last time I called GoDaddy support, I asked if they could the timeout limit for me. I was told that it was a global setting and that they could not raise the limit for me. So, the answer is No, you cannot change the GoDaddy session timeout limit.

Can people see the source code of my PHP files on my web site?

On one of my web sites, I am using PHP as the server-side language to connect to a MySql database. In order to connect to the database, you need to build a connection string that has a user id and password. At first, I was really concerned that somebody would be able to just view the source of my PHP files and get my database user id and password. I did some research and everybody says that it is impossible for somebody to see the PHP source code on a website. Just to be safe, I used the FTP File Manager on my GoDaddy hosting to change the permissions of my PHP files to be execute only. So, the answer to the question is ‘NO’, the source code of PHP files on a web site cannot be seen by web site users.

How to Add Google Analytics Tracking to a WordPress Blog

I use Google Analytics to track the activity of my websites. I just created this blog and wasn’t sure how to set it up with Analytics. I did research and it is pretty darn easy. I went to http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-analytics-for-wordpress/ which had instructions. I downloaded the plug in from here to my computer. After virus scanning it, I extracted the files. It was actually a folder with a bunch of files in it. I then went to my host, GoDaddy, and uploaded the entire folder to the wordpress plugins folder (as described in the instructions on the web page). Then, I went into Google Analytics and added my website, www.LunaSystems.ca, to it. Then, returning to my WordPress site, I looked for the Plugin in ‘Plugins-Installed Plugins’ but the Google Analytics plug in wasn’t there. I had to select ‘Plugins-Add New’, then Search for ‘Google Analytics’. It brought back a list from which I selected the one that I had downloaded/uploaded earlier. I selected it and installed/activated it. It asked me for my tracking code. I selected manual entry and had to enter the Tracking Id (not the code). That was all it took and it seems to be working. Adding Google Analytics to WordPress will let me track my blog activity along with the activity from my other websites.

Using Frames in your website hurts Search Engine Ranking

The biggest mistake that I made when developing some of my web sites was that I used frames in my html. Using frames allowed my website (www.CustomTravelChecklist.com) to show multiple separate .html files on the screen at the same time. I could easily switch the main .html file in the center to show different .html file. Also, I was using javascript and stored session variables in a hidden .html file. Technically, this worked well. However, I came to realize that search engines did not properly index my website. My ranking never seemed to go up. I added a site map and submitted it to the search engines, but that didn’t seem to help too much either. I then did some research on the internet to see if there was some specific SEO (Search Engine Optimization) that I could do for frames. The general consensus was that there isn’t any SEO that would help. I wish that I had known this before building the site. I would have architected it differently. So, if you develop a website, I recommend that you don’t use frames.