duty, taxes etc on buying used boat in US and ret to canada

steve dover · **Joined:** Mon May 13, 2002 5:18 am **Posts:** 65

does anyone know what taxes, duty etc you have to pay to buy used boat in US and take back to canada, and what procedure is for crossing border i plan to buy a 2025 IFS a year or two old and cant find one for reasonable price in canada, they dont seem very popular here. thankx

Mike · **Posted:** Fri Jan 09, 2004 5:35 pm

Got some info from a friend of a friend...still is reliable:

..."DON"T BUY A BOAT FROM BELOW THE 48TH" the obvious reason being that below that point, the boats are used 10-12 months of the year due to climate, therefore have MANY more hours on them. So, try and stay within the northern US. Ask used boat dealers here, and they will all say the same thing....when we have a used bass boat....the Americans come and take them off our hands because they have very little hours compared to theirs"

What taxes do I pay? - There are no taxes on a used boat from the U.S. (See point 2 about duty).
How do I register? Like you would if you had bought the boat here. Same process.

1: You must have proof that there are no outstanding loans or leans on the boat and trailer. If you do not have that proof...they will keep the boat at customs and do a search that could take months and you will be back charged for storage.

2:You should set up any bill of sale to indicate a seperate price for boat and trailer. You will pay duty on the trailer, therefore in the case when you do NOT have a seperate bill for the trailer and you pay for example 20K for both...you will pay duty on 20K. So be sure to have a seperate bill for the trailer.

3: The trailer falls under the motor vehicle laws and restrictions, the boat does not, thus you will have more difficulty clearing the trailer than clearing the boat at US customs. They are very strict in this regard.

4: Serial numbers. ALL itmes on the boat must be itemized on the bill of sale, including thier serial numbers. Otherwise they will not be considerd as being part of the purchase and can be seized until you provide proof of ownership. This includes trolling motor, fish finders, etc.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Mike

Superdad · **Posted:** Fri Jan 09, 2004 9:54 pm

Great Post Mike on the ins and outs of purchasing a boat below the 48th.

mark bennett · **Posted:** Fri Jan 09, 2004 9:55 pm

I have bought2 boats in ny state.one in 2000 and one in 2003
paid little duty paid both taxes sellars made out the receite declared my
purchases no problem both boats were used will buy there again .you bet

Superdad · **Posted:** Sat Jan 10, 2004 9:18 am

You may not pay any taxes or duty at the border, but, doesn't the Tax People try and get some taxes or GST when you register the boat?

Wall-I-Guy · **Posted:** Sat Jan 10, 2004 10:54 pm

I believe so!

They will be coming at some point I believe. When I bought my boat and it was NEW! They came a calling about 2 years later,

just looking for a copy of the bill of sale to prove I indeed paid the taxes. It was bought in Canada :!:

There aren't too many tax breaks nowadays. That's not to say there aren't any. The one's pointed out by Mike are very much a possibility but, I believe it's up to you to know the ins and outs, especially crossing the border. They likely don't know them as well as they should which in turn could cost you more :!:

firetiger · **Joined:** Tue Sep 30, 2003 8:59 am **Posts:** 9

Mike, I disagree with a couple of your comments. First, you are not dealing with U.S. customs when coming across from the U.S., you are dealing with Canadian Customs, or more appropriately, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA). Because fo NAFTA, there are no duties on goods manufactured in the U.S. but there are duties on goods manufactured elswhere. So on new products you must a 'Country of Origin' document to show to CCRA. Secondly, there are indeed taxes to be paid, they are GST and PST and these are collected at the border. I'm not entirely sure about the trailer, PST may be paid at the time that you plate it.

As to whether a person should buy a used boat package the U.S. from the U.S., I agree that it is more likely that it will have more hours on it but with new outboards that is easy to determine now. Generaly however, it is cheaper to buy in Canada because outboards are priced differently by the manufacturer.

targa2 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 12, 2004 10:15 am

Tha problem with buying a used package that Steve is describing in Canada is that there are so few of them ever sold up here. Finding a 2025 Pro v is easy south of the border and they are not used any more than they are here in Ny , Mich, Wisconsin etc. Those pro package deals are a great value when you consider what electronics and other goodies these guys leave on them. These boats are armed to the teeth with everything imaginable in many cases for a very reasonable price.

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duty, taxes etc on buying used boat in US and ret to canada

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