{"id":4301,"date":"2018-09-06T11:47:03","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T15:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearit.ca\/canadian-customs-broker-blog\/?p=4301"},"modified":"2018-09-06T12:03:53","modified_gmt":"2018-09-06T16:03:53","slug":"resident-and-non-resident-importers-making-sense-of-canadian-duty-and-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearit.ca\/canadian-customs-broker-blog\/resident-and-non-resident-importers-making-sense-of-canadian-duty-and-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"Resident and Non-Resident Importers: Making Sense of Canadian Duty and Tax"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Canadian market is a prosperous place for importers, be it resident or non-resident importers (NRI). There\u2019s room for large profit and lucrative business opportunities, but depending on your residential stature within Canada, you will be subject to a varying degree of duties and taxes.<\/p>\n

The province your business operates in will also impact how you are taxed, as well as the amount of money you make within one fiscal year.<\/p>\n

Resident Importers<\/b><\/p>\n

For residents in Canada, but outside of Quebec, there are two tax variables that will be applied to your business.<\/p>\n

Goods and Services Tax (GST): <\/b>This tax applies to a number of goods and services made in Canada. It also applies to real and intangible personal property, which means it will affect land, building and property interests, as well as trademarks, patents and digitized products.<\/p>\n

Harmonized Services Tax (HST): <\/b>Similar to GST, it applies to same base of property, goods and services. Some provinces provide point-of-sales<\/b><\/a> rebates on certain, specific items.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that importers are considered a resident of Canada if they have a fixed place of business, i.e. a branch, an office, a factory, a mine, and a timberland — to name a few. It could even be a fixed place of business for a person acting on behalf of another importer outside of Canada.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a resident of Canada but hold a permanent location outside of Canada, you may have to register for both GST and HST. It depends on a number of factors:<\/p>\n