>When I've visited Canada in the past, on my return to UK I've been able to claim back any GST or provincial taxes that I've paid on any service or purchase (incl. e.g. whale watching trip). It's like Canadians can claim back any VAT they've paid while visiting UK. Might this not be a similar case whereby non-Cans can claim back this "VAT"?

VAT -- a wonderful invention for making a nation's goods economically uncompetitive.

As an American, I guess I shouldn't talk. Between the gasping dollar, the ballooning national debt, and the ballooning trade deficit, the U.S. could be approaching an economic "perfect storm." It could get really, really ugly, like 1930s ugly. And that won't be just a local problem.

Mike