Canada exempts investment gold, silver and platinum that reach the required purity when buying, and when selling it taxes only half of the gain.
When buying
The purchase of investment precious metals is exempt from the goods and services tax and the harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) as long as they meet the minimum required purity, 99.5% for gold and platinum and 99.9% for silver, and come as bars, wafers or rounds from a recognized authority, or as coins issued by a government.
Gold and silver of lower purity, and jewelry, pay the general GST/HST of the province of purchase.
When selling
The gain a private individual makes from selling investment gold or silver is treated as a capital gain with an inclusion rate of 50%. Only half of the profit is added to taxable income and taxed at the seller's marginal bracket.
The Government had proposed raising this rate to two thirds, but permanently withdrew the proposal in March 2025, so it remains at 50%. Frequent or large-scale trading may be recharacterized as a business activity, with one hundred percent of the profit taxed as income.
Reporting and limits
Anyone entering or leaving Canada with cash or monetary instruments worth CAN$10,000 or more, their own or a third party's, must declare it to the border agency (CBSA), whether carrying it in person or sending it by mail or courier.
When importing
Gold, silver and platinum bars and coins that meet the required purity thresholds enter exempt from GST/HST on import as well, under the same conditions as a purchase within Canada. Unwrought metal carries no relevant customs duty, whether the shipment comes from the United States or the European Union.
Other zones
- United States ·
/en/inversion/fiscalidad/estados-unidos - European Union ·
/en/inversion/fiscalidad/union-europea - United Kingdom ·
/en/inversion/fiscalidad/reino-unido - Switzerland ·
/en/inversion/fiscalidad/suiza - Australia ·
/en/inversion/fiscalidad/australia - Asia ·
/en/inversion/fiscalidad/asia
Consulted on September 27, 2026.
- Canada Gold, Precious Metals Tax in Canada, 2026.
- Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, cancellation of the proposed increase in the inclusion rate, March 21, 2025.
- CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency), Travelling with CAN$10,000 or More, 2026.
This is general information, not a tax service. Consult a tax professional in your country. Figures reviewed on September 27, 2026.