I brought a boat from Minnesota into Manitoba last year. At the border
they want to see a legal title from the previous owner. My boat was bought
at a dealer and the papers were all in order. I paid the GST and PST on the
boat. They didn't even bother to look at the boat.
The trailer can be a little more problematic because it is considered a
vehicle. I was lucky that the trailer was just a few months beyond the
magic age of 15 years. They let me bring it in with just a GST charge. The
pst was payable at the insurance office later when I went to get the
license. I was told that a younger trailer was subject to the registrar of
motor vehicles and would be subject to a $189 charge. They also said it
would have to be safety inspected before it could be insured but that is
probably a Manitoba legislation. Oddly, the older trailer is exempt from
that.
The license plate is the tricky part. To do this legally, you need to
arrange for insurance where you normally buy auto insurance at home. The
state where you buy the trailer will issue you a sticker in lieu of a plate.
It is valid only in that state and you may need another for every state you
enter. It becomes invalid in Canada and you need to get another when you
arrive at the border. You could just find the nearest insurance office and
get your plate from there, but the saftey inspection requirement may be an
obstacle. Ask about this at your insurance office. In Manitoba the public
insurance company is closely tied with the dept of highways and the
insurance office is a good place to get answers to these questions.
The mere thought of all this gives me a headache so I brought the plate
from my old boat trailer, stuck it on the "new" one and just towed it home
with no insurance. The customs people didn't even look at the registration
aspect, as they seemed uninterested. I guess I could have insured the boat
by merely phoning my home insurance office, getting them to add it to my
home insurance policy but I didn't know if I would be buying the boat until
I was in the US.
Once they process you at the border and you are clear to go, ask them to
issue you a license number. They are the same people and you can get the
form filled out at the time, saving you the normal routine.
--
Denis Roy
D. Roy Woodcraft
www.ideasinwood.com
"Malcolm Fraser" <mgfraser RemoveThis @rogers.com> wrote in message
news:k7GdnTuzxIMn1wLfRVn-hQ@rogers.com...
> Hi Everyone,
>
> When I buy a boat in the US and bring it to Canada (Ontario) can someone
> tell me if I have to pay GST or Ontario Sales Tax?
>
> Are there any tax advantages to leaving the boat in the US?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Malcolm Fraser
>
>
> >> Stay informed about: Importing a Boat from the US 
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