Tax on stuff from the USA
 

Hi,

Happy New Year to all.

Does anybody know if Tax is applied to everything I might buy in the US and bring back across the border?

What if I buy some groceries in Buffalo and bring back, do I have to pay tax and if so what level on these goods?


Cheers,

P

Re: Tax on stuff from the USA
 

Check this link.
Be careful about "groceries" though. You might not be able to bring fresh fruit/vegetables/meat across the border.

Re: Tax on stuff from the USA
 

Well when I order anything on line, as most things I need seem to be better in the USA, I always get stung with "cash on delivery" with UPS. I have just bought my son his Vtech smile games cost me $48 USD.

Total cost in all including UPS charge $110 CAD :eek:

Guess I should stop ordering things from the USA!

Re: Tax on stuff from the USA
 

Depends on how long you've been outside of Canada....

If it's just a day trip then in theory yes, in practise, depends on the officer on the day and also what you have....

I read on another forum, as a rule of thumb, if you keep it under $200 in one trip and it's all groceries (NO alcohol), then you'll almost certainly get let through.

FWIW, I've been through about half a dozen times so far with varying amount and have been let through every time.

I've also brought back meat and have never been asked if I have meat/veggies/plants.... They're more interested if you have alcohol/tobacco, have also been asked if I have any firearms :eek:

Re: Tax on stuff from the USA
 

The law requires you to pay the tax on anything brought into Canada, that's GST plus the PST of the Province you're importing into. Many on-line orders from USA include these taxes, oh the boon (read bane) of computerisation. At one time, I believe, if you bought something in PST free Alberta and brought it into Saskatchewan or Alberta you were supposed to declare the PST to the respective Provincial and, of course, pay the tax.
Logistics dictate that collection on everything coming in from USA would be a chaotic nightmare, hence the superficial check at the border,

Re: Tax on stuff from the USA
 

UPS and the private couriers charge a fortune for their brokerage fees.

Ask for them to send it in the mail, Canada Posts brokerage fee is 5 bucks. UPS is well known for their fees on cross border purchases.

I find its hit or miss. I have been charged the taxes once but it was a large purchase, but still saved over 100 bucks by not buying it in Canada.

Re: Tax on stuff from the USA
 

Couple of options:
Go to the US, make your purchase, declare at the border, you may be charged GST & PST, plus duties if item is not covered by NAFTA. Allowances depend on time away. You may also have to pay state taxes. If a BC resident purchases in WA, they pay WA tax + Canadian when they come back, an AB resident is exempt from WA tax. Purchase in Oregon and there is no state tax, long drive from BC though for a shopping trip.

Online purchasing & mail order - Find a mail drop point in the US that accepts courier delivery, like this one in WA have it shipped there and pick up from there. Declare at border, same tax and duty rules apply. Shipping charges way less than international into Canada. You may also not have to pay state taxes in the US depending on where you buy from and where it is shipped to.

If you want to ship into Canada, Fedex are the best option, they get it to you in good time and charge minimal clearance fees, a fraction of UPS.

Re: Tax on stuff from the USA
 

Thanks for that.

Re: Tax on stuff from the USA
 

I agree that you should not use UPS to import stuff into Canada. Use regular mail if you can wait, or FedEx if you need it PDQ.