Update Regarding Payment Deferrals

Buckland has received additional updates from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) regarding the deferral of payments.

• Payment of Excise Tax (alcohol, tobacco, etc.) will NOT be deferred.A Customs Notice outlining this decision, including a revised payment due date for excise tax amounts on the March SOA and a waiver of the interest and penalty is expected within the next week.
• A final decision has not been made regarding whether non-resident importers (NRIs) will be eligible for deferral of payment. If the decision is made to exclude NRIs from payment deferral, a new payment due date will be set for the March SOA and there will be a related waiver of the penalty and interest.

This information is an update to our message from March 27, 2020, detailing the announcement by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that there will be several economic measures taken to address the economic strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of these economic measures, it was announced that the month-end payment of duties and taxes on imports has been deferred until June 2020. Coverage / links:

• CBSA – Customs Notice 20-11 Extension of Timeframes for Payment of Customs Duties and GST (COVID-19)
• CPAC Video – PM Trudeau Provides Update on Federal Response to COVID-19 – March 27, 2020 
• CBC News – Government boosts wage subsidy to 75% for small, medium businesses to avoid layoffs during COVID-19 crisis

As always, Buckland will provide updates via email to customers, please be sure that you are an active subscriber to our list by signing up on the form on this page www.buckland.com/newsletter. Additionally, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/@bucklandtweets and our LinkedIn company page https://www.linkedin.com/company/buckland/ for news updates as they happen. Buckland will continue to support our clients and employees as we together navigate through these unchartered times and thank you for your ongoing partnership.