Canada...600% importation tax!!!

[yellowpurple]

I ordered 4 cans of snus and a prismaster for about $15 CAD plus about 5 bucks shipping. Not only did it take 2 full weeks to get to me (I have a feeling customs hanged on to the package for a while), but the customs charge was nearly $90. $110 for 4 cans of snus and a prismaster?...I don't think so!!! I refused it and the mail guy said it will sit at the post office for 10 days then they will send it back to northerner.com for me. I think my days of casual snusing and the snuson forum are over barely after it started.

PS

I've only ordered snus about 6 times before, usually about 4-12 cans at a time (about half and half from northerner/buysnus). Everytime I've been charged customs, usually between 100-200% (I've paid it everytime). All of the forum posts say its hit and miss with Canadian customs. For me its hit after hit. Just not worth it anymore. Will have to be happy with the occasional cigar or bag of Redman for now until most Canadian cities start to get snus. I'm out.

[EsotericPC]

Maybe they keep nailing you because you were paying the tax so they have your name and/or address listed as one to check?

You could try to get one sent to you with a different name or address?

[whokilledmyhooker]

I hope Canada Post employees enjoy swedish snus, because today i got the notice in the mail. I thought it was for another package I'm expecting, but it wasn't!

4 cans=81$ customs charge. I'm not paying 25$ per can, I'm going to leave it at the post office, and try again... from the US warehouse this time. My last order of just general got through fine, and fast from the Northerner US warehouse. We'll see this situation is getting grim, all i have is catch white, and skruf stark left!

[kevin32]

In which province do you reside?
I did some research on tobacco tax in Canada. It is 12.35 cents per gram (or part gram) of tobacco. I'm guessing part gram is so 22.5 grams is upscaled to 23 for example.
Not only that, but your province adds tax ontop of that again.
BC for example, has an 18.5 cent tax per gram of loose tobacco.
BC tax and Canadian tax together, make a box of snus weighing 24 grams have a tax of 7.404$.

For alberta its the same 18.5 cents.
Ontario susposedly has a 2.65 cent tax per gram, as of 2001.
Remember, this is in addition to the federal tax of 12.35 cents per gram.

With every order that customs tax, you should get a detailed list over the tax you've paid. If it does not match up with these statistics, and you're willing to wait a little while, send it back with a note about the amount of tobacco and the corrosponding tax.

Sources:
http://www.cctc.ca/cctc/EN/lawandtob...tax_rates_5-05
http://www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/documents_l...ns/tta_005.pdf
http://www.finance.alberta.ca/public...acco/tta8.html
http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/english/bul...tob2_2001.html

[sagedil]

Canada is famous for just making up sh** on their customs charge. ANY time they do this, if you challenge, you will win. But that means you have to pay it, then jump through all the hoops, and then wait for money.

But every person I have ever read here going on almost two years who challenged it, won.

[kevin32]

Canada is famous for just making up sh** on their customs charge. ANY time they do this, if you challenge, you will win. But that means you have to pay it, then jump through all the hoops, and then wait for money.

But every person I have ever read here going on almost two years who challenged it, won.

Indeed, but the important thing is to not stay quiet if you get slapped with a 600% tax. Then they may do it again and again. Also, I would imagine its bad for the taxationier if they tax it incorrectly, giving them a negative point or something similar. Make sure they're doing their job right by complaining! If you have to constantly send back your order time after time, I'm sure they'll eventually pick up on it.

[whokilledmyhooker]

Canada is famous for just making up sh** on their customs charge. ANY time they do this, if you challenge, you will win. But that means you have to pay it, then jump through all the hoops, and then wait for money.

But every person I have ever read here going on almost two years who challenged it, won.

So i should pay the post office 80$ with no guarantee that I'll ever see the money again?
Id rather just forget about the 15$ i spent on the order

[SnusinUsa]

Maybe you could find someone in the U.S. to order for you and ship w/a private label, problem solved.

[Lucky Striker]

Maybe you could find someone in the U.S. to order for you and ship w/a private label, problem solved.

Not really. I've sent things as innocuous as books and action figures to Canada that leave Canuck Customs in pieces, ripped to shreds and rifled through. They're going to get into your stuff no matter what, and if you have snus labeled as "gift" or "crafts" it may put you in more hot water than if you just marked "snus".

[yellowpurple]

In which province do you reside?
I did some research on tobacco tax in Canada. It is 12.35 cents per gram (or part gram) of tobacco. I'm guessing part gram is so 22.5 grams is upscaled to 23 for example.
Not only that, but your province adds tax ontop of that again.
BC for example, has an 18.5 cent tax per gram of loose tobacco.
BC tax and Canadian tax together, make a box of snus weighing 24 grams have a tax of 7.404$.

For alberta its the same 18.5 cents.
Ontario susposedly has a 2.65 cent tax per gram, as of 2001.
Remember, this is in addition to the federal tax of 12.35 cents per gram.

With every order that customs tax, you should get a detailed list over the tax you've paid. If it does not match up with these statistics, and you're willing to wait a little while, send it back with a note about the amount of tobacco and the corrosponding tax.

Sources:
http://www.cctc.ca/cctc/EN/lawandtob...tax_rates_5-05
http://www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/documents_l...ns/tta_005.pdf
http://www.finance.alberta.ca/public...acco/tta8.html
http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/english/bul...tob2_2001.html

I live in Saskatchewan (the province between Alberta and Manitboa).

[darkwing]

I just had the same thing - a delayed shipment and over $80 duties for 5 cans.

I quit.

[kevin32]

I live in Saskatchewan (the province between Alberta and Manitboa).

http://www.finance.gov.sk.ca/taxes/tob/

Seems to be 4.575$ per 25 grams. That equals 18.3 cents per gram. Remember, thats in addition to Canadian tobacco tax, meaning a 24g tin of snus should have a tax of 7.356$

I just had the same thing - a delayed shipment and over $80 duties for 5 cans.

I quit.

Now I'm assuming its Canada post employees that calculate the tax for all tobacco products. File a complaint easy and online here:
http://www.ombudsman.postescanadapost.ca/home_e.htm

And remember, if you want to avoid tax completely after getting slapped again and again. Try ordering it in a friend's name, buy a post office box and get it shipped there. They may very well scan parcels and show a warning if that person has imported tobacco before.

[whokilledmyhooker]

I just had the same thing - a delayed shipment and over $80 duties for 5 cans.

I quit.

I hope you don't give up that easily! It's clearly a bogus charge, file your papers and see what happens maybe? No Canadian has argued the duties charge yet, and posted about it.

The way I see it , it's not just tobacco. I do a lot of online shopping, and lately everything from skateboards, to baseball cleats have been rooted through by canadian customs, with that stupid ****ing yellow tape to seal it off. It didn't use to be like this, at all.

[kevin32]

I got my order and got charged customs. I had to pay 37.96$ tax for 5 cans. This should be correct, showing that its roughly the same price as cigarettes which are taxed the same.
I got a nice form showing all the different payments on it, some may find this helpful:

Duty = $4.33
Excise tax = $0.00
GST/HST/TPS/TVH = $3.47
PST - TVP = $25.16
Total payable = $37.96

So I got it through with the expected customs, however I still wish that it would get through fine. This money is susposed to go to healthcare from tobacco related diseases, however nobody has lobbied government here to lower the tax on snus since its been proven less health damaging (as has been done in Norway for example).

Also, for comparison, a 35 gram tin of Skoal in Canada costs 18$. This equals 12$ for 24 grams, so snus is no more expensive than skoal even after shipping and paying the initial price of the snus.

[Fightin Phils]

Well, Canada is pretty much a socialist country, it figures. And the US seems to be headed that way with the "messiah" Obama.