Maybe a little good news, I will post this around.
Warren
On July 1st, 2020, the new USMCA came into full effect.
The biggest impact to our services and customers is the change in the de minimus threshold for personal imports into Canada from the US. Now, the threshold for duty free and tax free will be separated.
Under the old NAFTA, the previous threshold was:
No Duty on imports below $20 CAD regardless of country of origin
No Duty on imports made in North America, however, GST/HST was applicable
GST/HST applied on imports* above $20 CAD
Thresholds under the new USMCA:
No Duty on imports below $150 CAD regardless of country of origin
No Duty on imports made in North America
No Tax on imports below $40 CAD regardless of country of origin
I wonder if that will affect the customs agents decisions at the border. Nine times out of ten, I have come across the border with $200 or $300 in parts and maybe $30/40 in groceries and the agent says have a nice day. It seemed to me that just about $350 for parts was the threshold at which you were going to secondary to pay up. It will certainly be a while before I can test my theory.
