A question about buying abroad and tax.

[Balli]

I'm going on a trip to Japan in August, and I thought I might pick me up a swanky new iPod and maybe even a MacBook.

My question is, if I buy them from an Apple store in Japan, can I get them tax free, (being a UK citizen)?

I would only save 5%, but that would still be quite a lot.

[CanadaRAM]

Can't say about HK, but in Canada the merchant is obliged to charge you GST and provincial tax if it is being delivered within the province. Your nationality doesn't matter a whit. If you are a visitor to Canada, there are some horrendously complex forms you can fill out when you leave the country, for a rebate of some of the taxes.