Carol asked:

I would like to begin a business to teaching sewing lessons.  What taxes would I charge on a tuition fee of $20.00 per hour.  How do I know that the name of the business I choose has not been already registered by someone else?

Julie King answered:

Thank you for contacting CanadaOne! Our "Starting a Business" guide answers your questions (as well as many others you probably haven't thought of asking yet).

Here is the article that explains taxes:
http://www.canadaone.com/ezine/oct03/gst.html

The essential points are this:

1) You don't have to charge HST/GST until you reach gross $30,000 sales in one fiscal year (or in any 4 consecutive quarters or single quarter). However, there are sometimes good reasons to start charging right away (check the article for specifics on that point).

2) Depending on the province you are in, either HST or GST will apply.

As for checking the business name, you again have a few options. The process varies from province to province, so if you look in the Guide under Step 4 you will see an outline of how to register a business in each province. Each of these will address the issue of choosing a business name.

You might also be interested in the article I wrote on the topic of choosing a business name:
http://www.canadaone.com/ezine/mar00/business_name.html

I hope this helps and that you continue to find CanadaOne to be a useful resource as you start and grow your business!

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