What do GST, HST, PST, QST, TPS, and TVQ mean in Tire Base?

TB Books · tax · Last updated October 1, 2026 · Version 1

This process works in apps: TB Books, TB POS

This article will teach you which Canadian tax names are the same charge, so a TPS and TVQ question maps to GST and QST.

Provinces and languages use different names for the same two kinds of charge: a sales tax, and a per-tire recycling fee. Tire Base prints the English sales-tax names (GST, HST, PST, RST, QST) on the invoice totals. Quebec invoices in other software often say TPS and TVQ. Those are the same taxes, not extra ones. The tire fee is never one of those tax rows.

A name map. GST equals TPS at 5 percent. QST equals TVQ at 9.975 percent. HST is one combined rate. PST and RST are provincial sales tax. EHF, tire levy, recycling fee, and taxe pneu are the same per-tire fee line.

Steps

GST is the federal Goods and Services Tax, 5%. In French it is TPS (taxe sur les produits et services). TPS is the 5%, not the 9.975%.
QST is the Quebec Sales Tax, 9.975%. In French it is TVQ (taxe de vente du Québec). A shop that says "9.975% TPS and 5% TVQ" has the names swapped. The math they want is still 5% plus 9.975%.
Quebec is Additive: both percents are calculated on the selling price, then added. On $1.00 that is $0.05 GST plus $0.10 QST (9.975 cents rounds to 10 cents), so the line total is $1.15. The combined rate people quote is 14.975%. Quebec is not HST.
HST is the Harmonized Sales Tax, one rate that already includes the federal and provincial parts. Ontario is 13%. Nova Scotia is 14%. New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island are 15%. Calculation Type for those provinces is Single.
PST is a provincial sales tax on top of GST: British Columbia 7%, Saskatchewan 6%. Manitoba calls that same provincial tax RST (retail sales tax), 7%. Those provinces are Additive, same idea as Quebec GST plus QST.
Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon are GST 5% only.
EHF, environmental handling fee, tire levy, tire recycling fee, environmental fee, stewardship fee, and Quebec taxe pneu are the per-tire fee. They print as their own line. They are not the GST, HST, PST, or QST total. That line can still be charged GST, HST, or QST.
FET is the US federal excise tax. Tax Country → Canada zeros FET on catalog items and hides it on quotes, work orders, and invoices.

Conclusion & best practices

When a customer says TPS/TVQ, set Tax Country to Canada and use Quebec. The invoice prints GST 5% and QST 9.975%. When they say HST, use the HST province (Ontario, Nova Scotia, or the 15% Atlantic provinces), not a second GST line. Setup steps are in How to set Canadian GST, HST, PST, and tire levies in Books?.