Kula35 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 So I live in Alberta, Canada, and I am wondering what the tax would be for 1.5 kg of shisha. I've ordered shisha from this one website several time and have never been hit with taxes before. My most recent order was of 1.5kg of shisha, a hose, 500 coals, and a hookah that came free I spent about $80 on 1.5 kg of shisha before shipping and any other tax. My shisha spent about 4 hours in customs and ended up with about $180 in duty and $2500 ish in PST. First of all, in Alberta we don't have any PST, so I am wondering where this PST charge is coming from. Second of all, $2500? If anyone could give me some insight into how this massive tax was added onto my total cost I would greatly appreciate it. Lastly, if anyone knows how to deal with this type of situation please feel free to comment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kula35 Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 (Taxes other than GST) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoozle Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 You should deal directly with the customs office. Ask them to give you a detailed list of each charge and verify the tax rates used. It seems like they just guess at how much that stuff should be taxed based on previous stories, but $2500 sounds like they put your whole box on the scale and applied the highest tax rate they could find. If you deal with them directly, you might get the tax charges lowered, but you will still pay the full tax thet is supposed to be paid, which is still pretty high from what I understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bawhee Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 If Ty (aeon) reads this thread he can shed some more light on the situation but as far as I understand it you have insane taxation for any tobaccco shipments in Canada and your previous orders simply werent checked by customs (presumably they do random checks) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kula35 Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 So yes the tax was lowered to $450 because the entire box was weighed previously. I rejected the package and will hopefully try again later. I am talking with some people from a shisha website right now to get some more info on this stuff. I am wondering if the package will be marked with the word "tobacco", or if it says "shisha tobacco" instead of just shisha on the invoice. If anyone knows how the package will be marked (or about laws regarding this) I would like to know. The word "tobacco" was not on my package last time, so I am wondering if something changed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
â€On Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Edmonton here. I'm going to refer to hookah tobacco as shisha here, just for ease. Let me break it down for you: -The taxation rate for importing shisha is 35c/gram. On 1.5kg they can tax you up to $525. -An order of shisha under 1kg, shipped on it's own, will be taxed at the above rate if discovered by customs. -An order of shisha over 1kg, shipped on it's own, will be sent back to the sender, as 1kg is the exemption limit for what you can legally import as an individual. -An order of shisha under 1kg, shipped with other stuff (hoses, bowls, pipes, etc), will be taxed at the above rate if discovered by customs. -An order of shisha over 1kg, shipped with other stuff (hoses, bowls, pipes, etc), will be confiscated and destroyed by customs. The rest of your order will arrive in the original box. Protips: -Always ask the person you are buying your shisha from to label the package as "flavored molasses" "fruit extract" "cooking molasses" "cooking preserves" "fruit preserves" etc. -Always order shisha on it's own. It's just less hassle. -Ask them to ship in a flat rate usps box. For whatever reason, these seem to go through customs easier. As Twitchy said, 5star is who I have had the best luck with for tobacco. Disclaimer: I do not condone any illegal activity, nor does this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amriel Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 The province you're in can make a huge difference in the duty: New Brunswick is the lowest at 8 cents/gram and Newfoundland is the highest at 32 cents/gram. Ironically, they lower the taxes in provinces where there is the most cross-border smuggling, to make contraband less profitable. GST is supposed to be charged on the listed value and PST/HST also applies, but in your case (Alberta) PST shouldn't have been applied at all. $450 is the Alberta tobacco tax for 1.5 kilos (30 cents/gram). Tobacco tax rates by province can be found at the Canadian Border Services Agency site: [url="http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d2/d2-3-6-eng.pdf"]http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d2/d2-3-6-eng.pdf[/url] (Page 6). I had to google some because they don't list provinces that don't border the US: NL: 32.00 cents/gram PEI: 19.30 cents/gram NS: 12.52 cents/gram Hope that helps some fellow Canucks know what they're in for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
â€On Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 [quote name='Amriel' timestamp='1340743421' post='550109'] The province you're in can make a huge difference in the duty: New Brunswick is the lowest at 8 cents/gram and Newfoundland is the highest at 32 cents/gram. Ironically, they lower the taxes in provinces where there is the most cross-border smuggling, to make contraband less profitable. GST is supposed to be charged on the listed value and PST/HST also applies, but in your case (Alberta) PST shouldn't have been applied at all. $450 is the Alberta tobacco tax for 1.5 kilos (30 cents/gram). Tobacco tax rates by province can be found at the Canadian Border Services Agency site: [url="http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d2/d2-3-6-eng.pdf"]http://www.cbsa-asfc.../d2-3-6-eng.pdf[/url] (Page 6). I had to google some because they don't list provinces that don't border the US: NL: 32.00 cents/gram PEI: 19.30 cents/gram NS: 12.52 cents/gram Hope that helps some fellow Canucks know what they're in for! [/quote] Good to know! For some reason I kept thinking it was 35cents/gram instead of 30/gram in Alberta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavo21 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 yeah it can definitely be a hassle i am glad we have good people with a great knowledge on Canadian taxes and tobacco laws thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I will remind people that there is a sticked post about trying to get around legal tariffs and taxes. This forum could be held responsible AND all the good tricks are now out there for anyone to see. Idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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