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Released: 10 June, 1999
Duty And Tax Exemption Limits Raised For Travellers
Ottawa, June 10, 1999...The
Honourable Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of National Revenue, in conjunction with the
Honourable Paul Martin, Minister of Finance, today tabled a ways and means
motion increasing the duty and tax-free personal exemption to $750 from $500 for
residents of Canada who are out of the country seven days or more. In addition,
Canadian residents who have been absent from Canada 48 hours or more will be
able to bring up to 1.5 litres of wine into Canada duty and tax-free, up from
the current limit of 1.14 litres. Foreign visitors may bring 1.5 litres of wine
into Canada any time.
The changes will come into
effect on July 15, 1999.
"Increasing the personal
7-day exemption limit will make it more convenient for travellers to clear
Canadian customs," said Mr. Dhaliwal. "This is just another example of
the steps we've taken over the past few months to improve service for visitors
and Canadians returning to Canada."
On April 1, a new Family
Customs Declaration Card was introduced to simplify customs clearances for
families arriving in Canada by air. Instead of requiring each individual to fill
out a customs declaration card, up to five family members are now able to make
declarations on a single card, provided that they all reside at the same
address.
The dollar limits that apply
to the 24- and 48-hour duty and tax-free personal exemption remain unchanged at
$50 and $200 respectively.
"
40C/99
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