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Bringing wines into Ontario?


Freckles

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Basically - forget it. It's getting even worse now.

Importers are having their 'samples' assessed at "true" values rather than sample prices. The 'diplomatic route' has been clamped down on.

And at each of my last crossings of the border (one by car, one by plane) I was delayed for several hours while the agent searched the internet for prices - and came up with ridiculous values (which I'm now appealing). My only option was to not pay and have the wine destroyed (example a wine now out-of-stock at LCBO where it retailed for $36 was assessed a value of $160US per bottle and charges of about 70% applied - I only paid as this was so clear-cut that I'm confident I'll get a refund).

Any lawyers around who can help with this?

And I know several agents - none of whom are prepared to risk attempting to 'fool' the ALGO or LCBO - the fines are huge. Remember that US retail includes a mark-up so that our importers (such as Rogers) are paying wholesale and paying all government charges.

This makes me very sad (for you) and very angry at the system. Hope all out there love the local wine (I refuse to buy from Ontario and BC because of this and have less than 12 bottles from Canada in total since Ontario and BC are the worst provinces for mark ups as I understand to protect their wine industries) and the associated protectionism mark up to protect the local wine industry. I think it has been long enough and the wine can hold its own, so why not let it. I mean why not have the LCBO or others take the same amount of tax they do from agents. It is well below the 70%. What is wrong with a 15% wine tax at the border (since my understanding is the provincial taxes kill you)? I would pay it.

There must be an avenue of appeal since you should be able to show a receipt. What was the bottle? I wonder whether they used WS or not (if you know the searcher then you do) but I would not want to give the link away to the "man" as that searcher engine tends to often show the last few bottles of anything in the US at the highest possible prices. Very unfair and wine unfriendly of them. I guess my stuff in the US will have to wait and come up 2 at a time. I wish that someone in Buffalo would set up a proper wine storage facility so I can let stuff sit there for years.

officially left egullet....

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