Ottawa’s GST holiday brought more headaches than revenue for business owners

Katie Mackinnon remembers when Chrystia Freeland popped by the toy store she co-owns in Toronto early this winter. It was around the start of Canada’s GST/HST holiday, which gave consumers a tax break on a range of goods and services such as books, beer, children’s toys and restaurant meals.In a moment captured on video, the then-finance minister nodded as Ms. Mackinnon and her business partner spoke of the benefits they hoped the tax break would bring for business and customers.