<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/the-inside-of-a-grocery-store-in-quebec-qc.jpg?id=56430718&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=45%2C0%2C45%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Since December 2024, Quebec (and every other province for that matter) has enjoyed a <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tax-holiday-canada-best-gst-free-buys" target="_blank">temporary GST/HST tax break</a> on a ton of items, giving our wallets a much-needed rest.</p><p>And even though Quebec doesn't have harmonized sales tax (HST), shoppers here have still been saving the 5% GST — which can add up fast, especially on bigger purchases.</p><p>But all good things must end. And the tax holiday officially wraps up on February 15, 2025, which means prices (with or without <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/made-in-canada-grocery-items" target="_blank">tariffs</a>) are going back up at grocery stores, restaurants, and shops across the country this weekend.</p><p>Here's a look at what will soon cost you 5% more, according to information on the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/child-and-family-benefits/gst-hst-holiday-tax-break.html" target="_blank">Government of Canada website</a>.</p><h2>Food<br/></h2><ul><li>Prepared foods, including sandwiches, salads, vegetable or cheese platters, and pre-prepared meals</li><li>Snacks, including chips, candy, baked goods, fruit snacks and granola bars</li><li>Energy bars or protein bars, if they meet certain criteria</li><li>A gift basket that contains food and other items if 90% or more of the total value of the basket is for items that would not be subject to GST/HST if supplied separately</li></ul><strong></strong><h2>Drinks</h2><ul><li>Non-alcoholic beverages such as tea, coffee, soda, juice and smoothies</li><li>Eligible alcoholic beverages:<ul><li>Beer and malt liquor, for example, bottled or canned beers and pitchers of beer</li><li>Wine, cider and sake containing 22.9% or less alcohol by volume</li><li>Spirits-based coolers and premixed alcoholic beverages containing 7% or less alcohol by volume</li><li>Energy or protein drinks, if they meet certain criteria</li></ul></li></ul><strong></strong><h2>Restaurants</h2><ul><li>Prepared meals and foods, and all eligible nonalcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages when provided in restaurants, pubs, bars, food trucks, and other establishments that serve food or beverages</li><li>Delivery service provided directly by the establishment and not through an intermediary distribution platform (eg UberEats, DoorDash, etc.)</li><li>Catering services</li></ul><strong></strong><h2>Children's clothing, shoes and accessories</h2><ul><li>Baby clothing, including bibs, baby nests and small blankets</li><li>Children's clothing in sizes "extra small", "small", "medium," or "large"</li><li>Socks, hats, ties, scarves, belts, suspenders, gloves and mittens for babies and children</li><li>Baby shoes</li><li>Children's shoes with an insole of 24.25 cm or less</li><li>Sportswear and dancewear such as ski sweaters and coats, leotards, swimsuits, bodysuits and swimwear that can be worn for purposes other than athletic or dance activities</li><li>Cotton diapers and disposable diapers</li><li>Diaper inserts and liners</li><li>Potty training pants</li><li>Rubber panties intended for use with any of the above items</li><li>Restraint systems or booster seats that comply with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations</li></ul><strong></strong><h2>Children's toys (designed for children under 14)</h2><ul><li>Board games with physical components and rules, including replacement pieces and additional components such as dice</li><li>Card games, including playing cards and games featuring collectible cards</li><li>Toys, toy sets and toy systems that:<ul><li>Have the appearance of a person or thing, whether real or imaginary</li><li>Involve the construction, creation or assembly of structures, objects or models using parts, pieces, or modelling materials</li><li>Involves sorting, stacking, or arranging parts, pieces, or materials</li></ul></li><li>Dolls, stuffed toys and their respective accessories</li></ul><strong></strong><h2>Puzzles, video game consoles and controllers</h2><ul><li>Puzzles for all ages, new or used</li><li>Game consoles designed for playing video games</li><li>Controllers designed for playing video games on consoles</li><li>Physical video games on discs or cartridges made for compatible consoles</li></ul><strong></strong><h2>Printed books and newspapers</h2><ul><li>Most published printed books (hardcover or paperback)</li><li>Printed book updates</li><li>Guides and atlases that do not primarily contain street maps or road maps</li><li>Subscriptions to magazines and periodicals (where the printed space devoted to advertising does not exceed 5%), if the full subscription is paid during the tax holiday period and only for magazines and periodicals received during the tax holiday period</li><li>Physical sound recordings of printed books, if 90% or more of the recording is an oral reading of a printed book, including abridged versions (e.g., a cassette, compact disc, or reel-to-reel tape of a published book)</li><li>Physical recordings of a performance of a published play</li><li>Bound or unbound printed versions of the scriptures of any religion, such as the Quran, Bible, prayer books, missals, hymnals, and Torah scrolls</li><li>Illustrated versions of religious scriptures (e.g., versions that are illustrated strips)</li><li>Printed books packaged for sale as a single item with a read-only physical medium consisting of either a reproduction of the printed book or material specifically referencing the printed book</li><li>Printed newspapers containing news, editorials, features or other information of interest to the general public and which are published at regular intervals (usually daily, weekly or monthly)</li></ul><p>With all that in mind, you may want to get your weekly shopping done before Saturday rolls around. </p><em>Love this? 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<em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em>
