OT: Canpass declaration & extra vodka
 

I will be importing 0.36L of vodka over my limit, and plan on declaring it on my card and at Canpass. Does anyone know how much $ will be assessed. The 1.5L bottle of smirnoff cost me $15.99 USD, and retails for about $45 CDN at the SAQ in YUL. So if they assess less than $25 CDN I should be ahead...

If you land at YUL your excess booze will be assesed for Quebec liquor tax + GST + TVQ on the declared value.

According to the CBSA tariff (HERE, see the table at Appendix B at page 8) Quebec liquor taxes on spirits are charged at 124% of the declared value + 0.89$ per litre.

Once you figure out what your prorated declared value for the excess portion is you can calculate the liquor tax, and then add 7% + 7.5% to get your total.

I think you're doing the right thing in declaring the excess and will likely get the CBSA cashier's head spinning soooooo fast with this one that you'll get a stamp on your traveller's declaration card and your yellow CANPASS card and be sent merrily on your way PDQ. :D

Give us a full report when you get home !

My recommendation is to NOT use the Canpass/NEXUS if you are only a small amount over your limit (unless lines are very long). An agent will likely let you go if you are only over by a small amount. I have brought 3 bottles of wine home on a few occasions and have never been sent to the customs counter.

I think this is a good plan. Many agents will give you a verbal warning and blah blah about being over your limit and then send you on your way. By using canpass you are send directly to the cashier. There is less room for the use of discretion this way.

Fully correct. They have better things to do. The charge on the overage liquor will be so outrageous, you'll just abandon it. It's based on value PLUS quantity. And the quantity excise is just ridiculous.

Well I wimped out, and only brought a 750ml bottle of Belvedere. It was 26$US on sale and I figured, once my flight started getting delayed, that I wouldn't want to be held up at customs, after waiting for my bag to be offloaded. It was the right decision, as finally we were delayed even further, waiting for the Canadien's plane to be pushed back for their trip to Chicago. I guess there weren't that many people working on the ground as it was SLOOOOW.

Problem is, I use Smirnoff for mixed drinks, and premium vodkas like Belvedere for martinis. Looks like I have to drink martinis until my next trip home. Hic...

Nice to know they will let you go with an extra bottle of wine. I will try that next time and plead ignorance. :p

I always buy the 30 pack of Coors Light in Maine for $14.99US and have always been allowed to bring it into Canada duty free even though the limit is 24 cans.

I declared 3 bottles of wine and was asked to pay duty (though the amount was negligible--can't imagine it was worth their while). I didn't think to plead ignorance, though.

They just feel sorry for you... ;)

Good one! :D :D :D

Your odds of getting through the regular lines without additional charge are decent if you have 2x the limit or less and you declare it. You do need to be prepared to pay though. Also helps if you are not maxed out on your other limits.

The amounts due on overgages in AB is not ridibulous at all, it is the same tax that is levied on the product sold in the province. Other jurisdictions may vary due to collection of Provincial taxes (last I heard AB had not joined this group).

Is the duty on wine in AB not a flat fee per bottle? I know of people who import wine into AB and then ship it to other provinces. Maybe liquor is different.

No. It's calculated in TEPS by declared cost, and liquid volume based on the alchohol proof. Alberta collects liquor excise, although they do not collect PST.