Border union admits collecting duty is not always priority
Posted Jul 22, 2011 12:11:46 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – We’re supposed to pay taxes and duty on much of what we buy in the US if we’re down there for less than 24 hours. But not everyone gets asked to pay up.
Canada’s border guard union tells us officers exercise discretion when lines are long, especially during the busy summer season and with a beefy Canadian dollar. Jean-Pierre Fortin with the Customs and Immigration Union says border wait times play a role, and security comes before tax-collecting.
“If, for example, you’ve got an hour wait… normally, the discretion of the officers on letting certain goods coming across could have an influence, that’s for sure. I’m talking about small amounts.”
“In all fairness, we’re being very careful with the security of the border; [on that], we’re not negotiable at all,” he explains, adding they don’t make an exception for alcohol or cigarettes.
