Chicken tax?! Buying Canadian VW from the US

[mr matt]

Hi,

I live in the US, & am considering buying a vehicle from Canada, I was told that maybe if the Chicken tax ( is still alive, I could be paying a hefty tax bringing a vehicle from Canada to the US.

If so perhaps I could get around it if the owner brought it over the line, and I purchased then in the states.

Anyone experience this?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax

Thanks!




Chicken tax?! Buying Candadian VW from the US

[ronjonlasvegas]

The chicken tax is still alive as far as I know, but it is only for brand new vehicles. It does not apply to to 30+ year old VW's.

I have heard that it is much more expensive to have a commercial transporter pick up a VW in Canada and deliver to the US compared to picking it up in the US. I am not sure the exact dollar amount of difference , but I was told it was more money for them to cross the border.
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[mr matt]

thanks ronjonlasvegas, yea, I was betting on the big increase in commercial transporter prices in crossing the border.

Appreciate the info on the chickentax - one less tax to pay...

[mr matt]

Have you bought a VW from Canada?

[Pruneman99]

There was a post in the bug fourm that explained the tax/transfer/transportation costs of moving a car from the US to Canada and back. There was some good info, and Apparently there is a big scam "upcharge" of crossing the border by transports. In reality I think it was like 20 bucks. No tax due.

Do some searches on here and see if you can find it. Try "transporters" or "shipping cost". Whatever you do, do your homework first and avoid BS charges.

[mr matt]

Thanks, I will have to do some homework....

will report back what I find..

maybe will help someone else...

[vwwestyman]

There was a recent thread (actually, more correctly put, I think, an old thread recently bumped) in the Vanagon forums where posters were reporting that they did, in fact sometimes have to pay the Chicken Tax. In those cases, 25% on the purchase price.

They were talking about Single Cab Vanagons and Doka (double cab) Vanagons. Aparantly some were getting lucky and the border officer may not actually look at the vehicle-only the paperwork- and only charge 2.5% tax.

Others had the workers look at the vehicle and declare, "yup, that's a truck!" and make them pay the chicken tax.

Some Dokas weren't charged the chicken tax because per the VIN it is categorized by VW as a utility vehicle while single cabs were because per the VIN it is categorized as a truck. But some Dokas were charged the tax because for whatever reason it had a different VIN code, or because the officer said, "Looks like a truck to me!"

But according to the experiences shared in that thread, at at least some ports of entry, the chicken tax very much is charged for 30 year old VWs.
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[heimlich]

Doesn't Ford make vehicles in Canada? How do they get the cars to the US?
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[allenw]

NAFTA

[vwwestyman]

And the chicken tax is only applied to trucks.

Just yesterday afternoon I got to talking to a guy about this. He told me about observing that one brand of foreign pickup trucks (Toyota maybe, don't remember for sure) had issues where the bed of the truck would rust out, but the front/cab area never did.

Found out it was because they were bringing the trucks in without beds, and then building the beds and installing them to the frame here to avoid the tax.
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Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[cdennisg]

[crukab]

I bought my Doka in 2002, paid 3% tax to bring it in, cost me $30, no importer needed. The seller had a letter from VW Canada saying the truck met U.S. standards, and I had to pre-pay my Vt. Vw dealer for a speedo install to change it from KPH? to MPH. That was it. Since I had the trucks VIn #, I registered it here, and had it insured when I drove it across the Boarder.
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Tom

My Pops:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604100&highlight=
I know you will always be with me, rest in peace with no more pain. 8/13/14.....

In the yard right now:
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'66 Singlecab
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'11 Jetta Wagon

[Bob Loblaw]