[Bglug] A new definition of Free Trade

[Peter]

Hi all:

Prior to the last meeting, there was some correspondence about soldering 
and a link to a soldering/rework station available (where else?) on eBay 
http://r.ebay.com/1EYip9. <http://r.ebay.com/1EYip9>
At least one was displayed at the last meeting and it looked really 
promising. So I visited the link, did a little due diligence and ordered 
one for the princely sum of $50.99 plus shipping etc of $44.86, or 
$95.85. Of course that was in real dollars, not dollarettes. The total 
in Canadian dollarettes was C$130.86.
I later found out, from an article by Neil Macdonald on CBC, 
_http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/online-shopping-cross-border-duties-taxes-de-minimus-macdonald-1.3814681_, 
there is something called /de minimus /for stuff coming into Canada of 
$20. That is, for items coming into Canada, anything over $20 should be 
charged duties, taxes etc. While Canada Post is flexible on this (too 
much paperwork) the shipping companies like UPS can charge for the 
service. And they do. The amount payable on delivery by UPS for duty, 
customs paperwork, GST on said paperwork came to C$101. So my $51 item 
eventually cost C$230!
US Customs allows Americans to bring in items up to the usual border 
crossing allowance of $800.
According to Macdonald's article, Canada spends $160 million to collect 
$39 million.
Your tax dollars at work.
Write to Finance Minster Bill Morneaux, Bill.Morneau at parl.gc.ca 
<mailto:Bill.Morneau at parl.gc.ca>, and let him know the de minimus should 
be raised.

Peter Richards

PS I used this unit to replace three bulging capacitors on a board in a 
flickering Samsung monitor. Worked very nicely.


-- 
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe. -  Albert Einstein

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