Posted on 10/01/2018 6:47:30 PM PDT by max americana
Retailers say they are OK with new trade rules that will allow Canadians to buy more from the United States duty free because dire alternatives that would have been worse never came to pass.
One aspect of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement announced over the weekend is an increase in the so-called de minimis threshold for duty-free shopping the amount that Canadians can buy from a store in the U.S. and import to Canada without having to pay a duty.
Under the old rules, Canada's limit was $20. That's much less than what the U.S. allows, a discrepancy that American trade officials were pressuring Canada to fix. Mexico agreed to raise its limit to $100 US from $50 previously, when officials agreed to their portion of the free trade deal in August.
Canada appears to have made a similar move, raising the de minimis threshold for duty-free purchases to $150.
Or drive across with empty suitcases.
Is this a Big Deal compared to the total Trumpian outcome?
It will be a lot more than just that for Canadians.
Canadian politicians have allowed their economy/industrial base to be hollowed out (by China) to a greater degree than even the USA. Now they will have to start making things in Canada again, rather than just repackaging Chinese parts.
Specific mechanisms in the agreement will systematically ratchet up the North American content requirement, as capacity comes on line.
The bottom line is that Canada and Mexico will share in receiving the huge supply chain that will be stampeding out of China, as the substantial tariffs start hitting China in earnest, January 1st, 2019.
Also Canadian consumers will get significant price breaks for dairy products and on-line shopping.
Milk is expensive up north. There’s a reason why a LOT of canucks cross the border just for milk. It’s ALWAYS a 3 excuse thing: gas, milk and eggs. All dairy products. Even Trump is helping canadians..
Gas is a dairy product?
to canadians, yes lol
Mainly because of the provincial and federal VAT taxes. Theyre steep.
Raise yaks
It’s motor milk. ;)
Does this new trade deal mean I can buy 2 gallon Canadian toilets? I’m tired of having to flush twice.
Can you afford the sales tax? There is no longer a VAT exemption for foreigners in Canada:
(It's a one-flusher alright, but, as you can see, it takes a whole group of Canadians to flush it.)
I used to work in a retail store about thirty miles from the Canadian border. Canadians have ALWAYS shopped in the US and smuggled their goods back home. Usually much more than $150 in my experience.
How does that work for dairy, if it is limited to 3.5% of its market?
Maybe it will hurt the US if it stops them from being border-crossing shoppers more generally?
haha
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.