Orchidians in Syracuse...?

Jewelry Discussion
1

Dear Fellow Orchidians,

I need someone in Syracuse, NY who would be willing to receive a
totally legal, fully documented, fully insured, customs-free,
tax-free religious ceremonial object for pick-up by a very nice
Canadian client (he actually knows my sister-in-law’s family—she’s
originally also from Ottawa)…It would save him a great deal of
Canadian taxes if he could bring it in to Canada rather than having
it shipped in. Any Syracuse Orchidians who can help us out…?

Many thanks!
Janet in Jerusalem

2

Janet
B"H

Why would there be ANY TAXES on a religious ornament, are they not
tax-free? Can you also mark it as a used family religious gift?

Gerry Lewy!

3

Hi Janet;

I need someone in Syracuse, NY who would be willing to receive a
totally legal, fully documented, fully insured, customs-free,
tax-free religious ceremonial object for pick-up by a very nice
Canadian client

I’m confused here, Janet. Syracuse is quite a ways from the bridge
over to Canada. The Buffallo, NY area is closer, over at Niagara
Falls. The nearest other crossing is going to be way up at the
norteast end of Lake Ontario where it empties into the St. Lawrence.
There are also two entry points from Ontario into Michigan, one down
in Detroit, the other up at Port Huron about a third of the way up
the state. You need someone on the American side, right? Then someone
from Canada is going to drive over to pick in up, right? Wouldn’t
they be asked to declare it coming across back into Canada? Of
course, sometimes they just ask, “did you buy anything in the U.S.?”
But I’m sure a Canadian returning to Canada wouldn’t get many
questions anyway. I’m an hour or so south of Syracuse myself so this
caught my eye.

David L. Huffman

4

Hi Gerry Lewy and anyone else who might be interested in Canadian
taxes:

There is no duty that applies to art objects, religious or
otherwise. But the government is very strict in its application of
Goods and Services Tax and Provincial Sales Tax. In Canada, they are
7% and 8% respectively (combined to equal 15%) The only way to get
around that is for a synagogue/church to claim status as a religious
institution and even that only saves them the federal GST but not
the Provincial PST.

Janet in Jerusalem