Canadian Import Advice Help - Tax was 200%!

[grimpeur]

@00fil00 , you left out how much tobacco by weight was in the order; that's important to know in order to help. Are we talking 8oz or 2lbs? Any smokeless tobacco? The latter is effectively, due to the massive duty, prohibited.

I've been ordering tobacco from the US, UK, and Europe into Ontario for over thirty years, I have some experience with the joys and agonies the process brings.

A rule of thumb to apply is that, if correctly applied, the import charges plus the cost of tobacco should be an amount just under what you'd pay at the local tobacconist. What you'd be saving is the (shockingly small!!) profit the store owner makes.

So far, knock wood, I've had a 100% success rate with the reassessment process, but it takes time: two to five weeks.

I order from the US not so much to save money, but to get blends that are not, and never will be available up here. Once in a long while, though, I get to experience the sweet victory of somebody at Customs sending the shipment on to me with no extra charge; that's a great day!

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

You should be grateful. The Canadian government are obviously worried about the harmful effects of you smoking a pipe so they're trying to dissuade you from buying tobacco. Definitely has nothing to do with gouging as much cash out of you as they can. Definitely not.

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help."
- Ronald Reagan


Whatever you think about Ronnie, he wasn't wrong.

 

[woodsroad]

I’ll be that guy:
Canadians voted for this. Not directly, it wasn’t on the ballot, but it’s the stick that follows the carrot. All those bright and shiny things that make you feel like you’re doing good for all humanity have to be paid for, and the intolerant, self-promoting people you elect to office do not hesitate to vilify and persecute the minority to get what they want. The USA is no different, just not quite as draconian…yet.

 

[briarblues]

Thanks for the inspiration. Alberta doesn't pay PST so that's why I'm upset at this shock.

True, Alberta has no provincial sales tax on goods, but like every other province there is a tobacco tax, like there is on alcohol.

 

[Briarcutter]

The answer is simple my friends. All we need to do is get our government officials to re-classify tobacco use as "mens health" and we'll get all the support, and probably get it paid for by the government! Simple, not easy

 

[Sigmund]

This thread aside which on the surface is pretty extreme I dont mind paying taxes. My wife and I basically get free medical care in France. It allowed me to retire early. In the US I would have had to work another decade just because if the medical insurance trap.


Everything costs money as woodsroad points out. Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes it eats you.

 

[geoffs]

Thank you - this gives me hope. What worries me is the site's policy, specifically the first line:

"International Returns Marked "Refused" or "Unclaimed": If you refuse to pay your local duty or tax, and the carrier bills Smokingpipes.com for the unpaid charges, we will subtract this amount and any return shipping fee from your return credit once the order is back. No refunds will be given for items that are seized at your local customs office or abandoned. There will likewise be no refund for damaged products on return orders that are marked "Refused" or "Unclaimed." We reserve the right to charge a 10% restocking fee for any international order that is returned to us because it was refused or unclaimed. The original shipping fee is non-refundable."

smokingpipes will treat you well. They do charge a restocking fee and you'll be out shipping cost, but they will credit the balance.

 

[fireground_piper]

This thread aside which on the surface is pretty extreme I dont mind paying taxes. My wife and I basically get free medical care in France. It allowed me to retire early. In the US I would have had to work another decade just because if the medical insurance trap.


Everything costs money as woodsroad points out. Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes it eats you.

It would just be a line item in your expenses as it is whether you have an employer or not. Having an employer just means it comes directly out of your paycheck(like taxes) and the company picks up maybe half the bill (and they often consider it against your personal compensation).

 

[Hillcrest]

Finland,where they (Customs officials)will just dump and burn Your tobacco

Isn't that cumulatively worse for the environment ???

 

[Sigmund]

@fireground_piper I dont understand your post. Have you Looked at the real cost of self paid health insurance in the US for people over 50? I think if you do it will make your eyes water. It would be over 2K for myself and my wife and then a heavy deductable if you actually wanted to make a claim. Im not into conspiracy thinking but its pretty clear to me that the health insurance racket is built to keep people in indentured servatude until they are too old to be of use. In the EU no one has ever heard of medical bankruptcy. In fact bankruptcy is rare because people dont have credit. Ive lived here for years and I have never been offered a credit card. I dont know anyone with a credit card. Credit is your mortgage and your car...thats it. That is about all I have to say since this is supposed to be a non political forum.

 

[Hillcrest]

I’ll be that guy:
Canadians voted for this. Not directly, it wasn’t on the ballot, but it’s the stick that follows the carrot. All those bright and shiny things that make you feel like you’re doing good for all humanity have to be paid for, and the intolerant, self-promoting people you elect to office do not hesitate to vilify and persecute the minority to get what they want. The USA is no different, just not quite as draconian…yet.

 

[fireground_piper]

@fireground_piper I dont understand your post. Have you Looked at the real cost of self paid health insurance in the US for people over 50? I think if you do it will make your eyes water. It would be over 2K for myself and my wife and then a heavy deductable if you actually wanted to make a claim. Im not into conspiracy thinking but its pretty clear to me that the health insurance racket is built to keep people in indentured servatude until they are too old to be of use. In the EU no one has ever heard of medical bankruptcy. In fact bankruptcy is rare because people dont have credit. Ive lived here for years and I have never been offered a credit card. I dont know anyone with a credit card. Credit is your mortgage and your car...thats it. That is about all I have to say since this is supposed to be a non political forum.

I am aware of the rules and costs of the country I live in.

 

[Sigmund]

So am I and thus my exit.

 

[Pip'n'Piper]

To those not from Canada, every country has their own political woes, don’t tell us about ours, don’t be that guy. I don’t come on here to talk politics for christsake. The cbsa does what they want, pst is the kicker and it’s different everytime. I got dinged $265 for a single 50g tin, and $87 for 3lbs. It makes no sense. Advice, order pipes and tobacco separate and expect to pay. In the end, considering the population density, I’d rather live here than anywhere else on earth, besides maybe Greenland.

 

[woodsroad]

Complainin

To those not from Canada, every country has their own political woes, don’t tell us about ours, don’t be that guy. I don’t come on here to talk politics for christsake. The cbsa does what they want, pst is the kicker and it’s different everytime. I got dinged $265 for a single 50g tin, and $87 for 3lbs. It makes no sense. Advice, order pipes and tobacco separate and expect to pay. In the end, considering the population density, I’d rather live here than anywhere else on earth, besides maybe Greenland.

Complaining about the symptoms and not seeking to identify the cause is dysfunctional.

 

[Hillcrest]

I find this thread somewhat ironic. It reminds me of a song from my youth.

 

[ClassicKehler]

From a fellow Canadian who has done exactly the same thing, I feel your pain. I was able to send my order back with just the restocking fee. There is a limit on tobacco importing, I believe it's 7.5 Oz. You will actually nailed way harder if you are over that. As far as taxes go, I stewed over that for a while and finally came to the conclusion that if tobacco was gonna be so expensive then I would just have to dish it out. It's my lifestyle, Noone is gonna take it from me. I'll do what I have to to get it.

 

[ClassicKehler]

Another tip that might be helpful. In Manitoba you can bring in 7.5 Oz duty free if you are in the states for 48 hours. Not sure if the same applies in other provinces.

 

[briarblues]

Here are the rules, set by the Federal Government, NOT the provinces. There are NO duty exemptions set by any province or territory. Provincial taxes levied will vary.

What are your personal exemption amounts?​

Less than 24 Hours - $0 CAD

There is no duty free allowance for absences of less than than 24 hours.

24 Hour Exemption – $200 CAD

If you are absent from Canada for more than 24 hours, you may claim up to $200 CAD worth of goods duty free as your personal exemption and all goods must be with you when you arrive.

If the total value of goods you bring back to Canada exceeds $200 CAD in total, you cannot claim this exemption and you will have to pay duties and taxes on the value of all goods you bring in to Canada, not just the amount that exceeds your allowance.

You can NOT include tobacco or alcoholic under this exemption.

48 Hour Exemption – $800 CAD

If you are absent from Canada for more than 48 hours, you may claim up to $800 CAD worth of goods duty free, and must have the goods with you when you arrive at the border.

If the total value of goods you bring back to Canada exceeds $800 CAD in total, you can still claim this exemption and you will only have to pay duties and taxes on the value of goods that exceeds $800 CAD.

You may include some tobacco and alcohol products under this exemption, and should review the section below called “Alcohol and Tobacco” for more details.

7 Day Exemption – $800 CAD

If you are absent from Canada for more than 7 days, you may claim up to $800 CAD worth of goods duty free. With the exception of tobacco and alcohol products, you do not need to have the goods with you when you arrive at the border.

If the total value of goods you bring back to Canada exceeds $800 CAD in total, you can still claim this exemption and you will only have to pay duties and taxes on the value of goods that exceeds $800 CAD.

You may include some tobacco and alcohol products under this exemption, and should review the section below called “Alcohol and Tobacco” for more details.

To calculate the number of days you have been absent, do not include the date you left Canada but include the date you returned. Dates matter, not times. For example, you are considered to have been absent for seven days if you left Friday the 7th and returned Friday the 14th.

Tobacco​

You are allowed to bring in all of the following amounts of tobacco into Canada without paying duty:

• 200 cigarettes;
• 50 cigars or cigarillos;
• 200 grams (7 ounces) of manufactured tobacco; and
• 200 tobacco sticks.

If you include cigarettes, tobacco sticks or manufactured tobacco in your personal allowance, a partial exemption may apply. You will have to pay a special duty on these products unless they are marked“CANADA – DUTY PAID ? DROIT ACQUITTÉ.” You will find Canadian-made products sold at a duty-free shop marked this way.

If you bring in more than your personal allowance, you will have to pay regular duties and assessments on the excess amount, which can be very substantial.

You need to read this fully to understand. Length of stay outside Canada has an impact on the amount of tobacco and alcohol you may bring back duty free. Exceed the weight limits OR dollar value and you will pay.

 

[briarblues]

Note that the tobacco exemption listed is ONLY for stays outside Canada of seven days or more and is per adult.