I understand the majority of the readers are from Canada here on Contribute One. For those of you from elsewhere, let me enlighten you. In Canada, goods are relatively more expensive compared to our southern neighbours. For the rest of the world, if you ever are in Canada and get a chance to see our borders to the south then you would see miles and miles of cars lined up. I can guarantee you that 90% of those lining up are heading down to the States for a day or two of shopping. Living in Vancouver, most shoppers go the Premium Outlets while some make the extra effort to go the Seattle to check out mega brand name department stores such as Nordstrom.
So what’s the Big Deal?
Now with the background story out of the way, The big news for today is that the Canadian Government has announced that starting next month; a 24-hour and under stay in the States now lets you buy $200 worth of goods duty free, an increase from $50. If you stay for a period of 48 hours or greater, you are now allowed up to $800 of goods duty free up from the previous two tiers of $400 and $750 depending on length of stay.