I recently purchased a CD from Caiman - users of Amazon.ca will no doubt be familiar with them. The CD was rare and expensive - about $27 CDN. Caiman ships its products from Florida.
Today I recieve a notice in the mail. My CD has arrived, but there will be a customs charge of $9.
I think: "Gee, those honest folks down at customs must have made some mistake! That would amount to a 33% tax! I'll just saunter up to the Post Office and clear this all up."
I saunter.
At the Post Office, I discover that I'm being charged 4 dollars in tax - which I'm happy to pay - and five dollars as a "handling fee!"
So, let's get this straight, shall we?
a) Canada Customs and Revenue is an agency paid for by tax-payers to collect taxes from taxpayers.
b) This task being, apparently, too expensive and difficult for Canada Customs agents to perform, they must charge a service fee. This fee may well be in excess of the original tax charged.
c) This fee and the tax both go to pay the salary of the agent, whose job it is to charge me the tax and the fee.
d) In other words, I just paid five fucking dollars for a service - that service being to have someone charge me five fucking dollars!!!!!!!!!!
Wait, do you hear something?
indeed, a high pitched whine is heard, becoming ever louder.
Drunken Master begins to shake in uncontrollable spasms
Abruptly, Drunken Master's head explodes, a la Scanners
Today I recieve a notice in the mail. My CD has arrived, but there will be a customs charge of $9.
I think: "Gee, those honest folks down at customs must have made some mistake! That would amount to a 33% tax! I'll just saunter up to the Post Office and clear this all up."
I saunter.
At the Post Office, I discover that I'm being charged 4 dollars in tax - which I'm happy to pay - and five dollars as a "handling fee!"
So, let's get this straight, shall we?
a) Canada Customs and Revenue is an agency paid for by tax-payers to collect taxes from taxpayers.
b) This task being, apparently, too expensive and difficult for Canada Customs agents to perform, they must charge a service fee. This fee may well be in excess of the original tax charged.
c) This fee and the tax both go to pay the salary of the agent, whose job it is to charge me the tax and the fee.
d) In other words, I just paid five fucking dollars for a service - that service being to have someone charge me five fucking dollars!!!!!!!!!!
Wait, do you hear something?
indeed, a high pitched whine is heard, becoming ever louder.
Drunken Master begins to shake in uncontrollable spasms
Abruptly, Drunken Master's head explodes, a la Scanners
