PST refunds coming soon on certain insurance premiums, province says

The Province of Saskatchewansays previously announced refunds for PST charged on certain types of insurance such as crop, livestock, life and health insurance will be coming soon.

Premier Scott Moe announced in February that the PST exemption for agriculture, life and health insurance premiums would be reinstated, and would be retroactive toAug. 1, 2017 the date PST was applied to insurance.

It was one of a number of PST-related changes in the provincial budget released March2017 under then premier Brad Wall.

On Friday, the province said the insurance PST refunds are coming soon.All refunds are expected to be complete by June 30.

The refund applies to:

• Individual and group life, health, disability, accident and sickness insurance.
• Crop, livestock, hail and margin/income insurance.

Insurance brokers who collected and remitted PST will calculate how much is owed to clients, and will either credit their accounts or provide them a refund, the province said.

Anyone who doesn't receivea refund or credit by June 30 isadvisedto contact their insurance provider.

During last year's provincial budget, the PST was raised to six per cent and applied to several goods and services which had previously been exempt, including some insurance premiums.

The expanded PST also applied to children's clothing, meals inrestaurants and construction work.

The expansion was denounced by theCanadian Union of Public Employees, which said it disproportionately affected low-income people and women.