On Friday March 27, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the extension of timeframes for the payment of customs duties and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) until June 30, 2020. This includes importers’ March Statements of Account (SOA), which are otherwise payable April 1.
Extension timeframes and the Prime Minister’s announcement are outlined in
If you are already registered for a CBSA duty and/or GST deferral program with Universal Logistics (i.e. through a Release of Goods bond or a GST Letter of Undertaking) then you are already set to take advantage of this further deferral option. You may choose to continue with monthly scheduled payments to CBSA, or you may choose to defer your duty and GST payments up to June 30, 2020. Specific details of deferral options were sent to these clients on the afternoon of March 27.
If you have not yet done so and would like to take advantage of these deferral options, Universal can help. The deferral of duty needs to be secured through a Release of Goods bond, while the deferral of GST can be secured with a Letter of Undertaking (no bond required to secure GST for Canadian importers). Non-resident Importers can also take advantage of these deferral options; however, a bond is required to secure both duty and GST.
To learn more about CBSA’s direct payment options for duties and GST, visit our
or contact your Client Care representative.
Mark Glionna
Vice President – Client Relations & Business Development
