New to Snus and Loving it but Confused about Taxes ( Canadian )?

[Sublim]

Hi everyone, I'm relatively new to Swedish snus but have found it a wonderful alternative to cigarettes and dip. My first order of general los was going quick so I ordered another roll to compensate for the shipping time.

My first order added an additional 20 dollars of taxes owed, which was very reasonable. However the delivery notice just arrived and claims I owe over 300 dollars!

I would love to become a member of the snus community but I fear at this cost I won't be for long. My question to any other Canadian snusers on the board is - is this a mistake or the cost of doing business??

Any help in the matter would be greatly appreciated!

[myuserid]

I don't know how the taxes in Canada work, but $300 sounds high.

[Darwin]

And to think we on this side of the border are squawking about a mere 10-50 percent increase in delivered prices. Our sympathies.

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

I read alot of threads on here and they made me think, for Canada, it's a total crapshoot on the taxes and the stakes can get high.

[heapbag]

Besides duty and taxes each province has their own excise tax on tobacco. The rate varies, but nonetheless in spite of this variable the amount owing that you say sounds much too high. Is it possible? Sure I guess. Doesn't mean it's correct though.
You found out the amount owing through the delivery notice that was left. The amounts owing on the delivery notices are handwritten by the postal carrier when there is no answer at the door. He/she could have written down the wrong amount (maybe it should be $30.00?!?). Bottom line is you should go to the post office and see the actual assessment of the charges that CBSA slaps on the package.

If it really is $300, then after you pick yourself up off of the floor I would make sure that the "Value for Duty" (the amount you paid for the snus) is correct. When I have ordered snus from Sweden I know that even when I have paid for it in U.S. Dollars the customs declaration sticker that the vendor puts on the outside of the package will show the value in Swedish Kronas/Crowns (SEK). So it could be possible that when CBSA converted the Value for Duty into Canadian dollars they were incorrectly assuming the amount in Crowns was in U.S. Dollars (I can see it happening).

In any event, whether you see a mistake or not if you are going to challenge the amount owing and submit a request for reassessment you have to pay the $300 first and then fight it. Otherwise you refuse to pay it and you try again with another order (I don't believe any snus companies will refund your $$$ back).

Good luck! But at least check out the notice explaining the breakdown of the amount owing on the package first.

[Snarfblat]

I'm guessing that $300 is a mistake. In Alberta it breaks down like this:

Tobacco tax is $7.20/24g can of snus (varies by province)
$2.8925 per 50 grams (or fraction of 50 grams)
5% GST
$5 Handling fee

You may also have Provincial Sales Tax or HST.

It cost me about $52 in taxes for 5 cans a while ago. If you only had 10 cans then I'd expect no more than about $100 in taxes.

It really is a crapshoot though, and I was grossly overcharged on a package a month ago. I filled out and mailed in the refund form, I'm still waiting for any kind of response.

Here's the form:

http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/import/postal-...ation-eng.html

[lxskllr]

One thing nice about Canada... Whenever I start to feel sorry for myself because of PACT, I can think of you guys and appreciate the US government's use of KY in the reaming :^D

[PipenSnus]

My sympathies to all our Canadian friends. I've heard similar complaints from Canadian pipe smokers.

Reminds me of what I found written on the margin of a US one dollar bill once. It said: "Taxes are revolting -- why aren't you?"

[Sublim]

Thanks for all the help everyone, I will go to the post office and check if it was written incorrectly. Clearly I have been overcharged, but I certainly won't be paying it and challenging. I'll likely order again sometime soon and hope for a more reasonable outcome.

Thanks again everyone from what I have read this is a fantastic forum

-Sublim