B.C. will begin charging PST for Netflix on Apr. 1

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COVID-19 delayed some tax changes in British Columbia, and one of those is the collection of 7% provincial sales tax (PST) from streaming services. Now, the B.C. Ministry of Finance announced it'll be collecting PST starting April 1. This news will mostly affect Netflix users, whose bills will reflect the addition of the sales tax. Streaming services like CraveTV, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime already pay PST.

When this tax measure was announced last year, the province estimated it could generate $16 million in taxes for 2021. But that might change because of the pandemic. Netflix last increased its standard and premium prices in the fall, which now starts at $14.99 per month. So, B.C. residents can expect to pay a bit more to use next beginning in April.

Canadian Govt. to invest $2.75 billion to electrify transit systems across the country

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While we aren't leaving our homes much these days, the Government of Canada is looking at what life will be when this pandemic is over. And it hopes to take a step in an eco-friendly direction. The government recently announced plans to invest $2.75 billion into electrifying the country's mass transit over five years. The investment will include acquiring more zero-emissions buses. 

This new effort is part of a larger $14.9 billion public transportation upgrade package. But this new investment will help the Canadian government reach its goal of a 5,000 bus rollout over that five years. This program also hopes to support Canada's growing electric vehicle manufacturing sector, like Nova Bus in Saint-Eustache, Lion Electrique in Saint-Jérôme, GreenPower in Vancouver and New Flyer in Winnipeg.

Via: Engadget

Sonos Roam tipped to let you pass audio to other speakers

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Sonos is reportedly launching its new Roam speaker during a March 9 virtual event. Ahead of the launch, we're learning about some of the portable speaker's advantages over other Sonos products. It will reportedly have a Sound Swap feature that will reportedly let you pass audio playing on the Roam to another nearby Sonos speaker. All you have to do is hold the play/pause button. Theoretically, that means it's much easier to transfer from one room to the other and have your music or other audio content follow you around the house.

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Time to say goodbye to the Apple iMac Pro

Source: 9to5Mac

The premium Apple iMac Pro is going away. Apple is discontinuing the build-to-order desktop computer. While the default model, sans the extra bells and whistles, is still available, the company only plans to sell it until supplies last. 

It has been four years since Apple introduced the iMac Pro. And the company seems to think it's an appropriate time to say goodbye to this device. Some tech sites speculate that this might mean that Apple is introducing a refreshed iMac product line soon. We can't say anything for now, but we're keeping our eyes peeled for that possibility.

Source: 9to5Mac