Tariffs
Tariffs are usually imposed and collected by a country’s customs authority or agency when goods cross the border. Their purpose is to increase the attractiveness of domestically produced goods relative to imported goods.
Buyers are usually responsible for paying tariffs. You could have to pay a tariff if you import goods into Canada. If you are an exporter, your clients abroad may have to pay tariffs on the goods you sell.
Different goods have different tariffs. Normally, a country will publish a list of goods and their associated duties, called a tariff schedule. Goods and services on the schedule are identified by their HS code, an international standard for classifying products.
Free trade agreements aim to eliminate tariffs to facilitate trade between countries.
More about tariffs
It is important for companies to know the tariff schedules of the countries they plan to sell into. While there are tariff finder tools that can make this easier, it is always best to contact a country’s customs agency directly to verify the HS code and tariff rate for the product to be sold. This is especially important when a product is so new it may not have an HS code yet, or when it could fall into more than one HS code category.
Check out the Canada Tariff Finder, a free tool that allows Canadian exporters to find the tariffs applicable to a specific good in a foreign market.
The Government of Canada has additional online tools to search for tariffs by product and country.
Export Development Canada (EDC) has more information on how tariffs work and how they can affect international trade.
You can consult the list of resources and information available on our special page to better navigate the current trade uncertainty.