First Nations HST rebate program

We received complaints from members of First Nations about delayed reimbursements under the Ontario First Nations HST rebate program. The program, run by the Ministry of Finance, provides eligible First Nations people, bands, and band councils with rebates of the 8% provincial portion of the HST paid on qualifying goods and services purchased off-reserve.

RESULT: Ministry officials told us the standard processing time for these applications is eight weeks, but acknowledged there were delays due to a higher-than-usual volume of claims. We continue to follow up with the Ministry on the status of the program’s processing backlog and its strategies to reduce it.

Read about how we helped other people in our Selected cases.