Retail Lobby now lobbies the Taxman

Generally, when one has dug a hole for oneself, the prudent course is to stop digging, but I guess no one at Retail Council of Canada or the Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce figured that out. Who knew RCC or the CACC would chose to go out and scout more places to dig? Taken from the Toronto Star

Endless lineups are common at border crossings these days as retail groups, stung by the surging loonie, pressure the government to diligently collect taxes and duties.

After a full day of discount shopping in the U.S. with her friend, Jessica McCulloch, stocking up on designer jeans, Moran hit the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge lineup around 11 p.m. Moran and her friend had spent a combined $200.

After two hours waiting in her car, Moran then joined the tax and duty line. A handful of the 250 other angry day shoppers huddled outside the customs building were cloaked in old blankets typically stored in car trunks in case of an emergency. Two agents assessed duty and tax and while another two collected the cash, most people paying about $20 to $30. That led to a roughly hour and a half wait time.

(…)

Part of the issue is that retail groups have put customs under intense pressure not to just wave shoppers through. The Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce have called on the federal government to ensure appropriate taxes are being collected on U.S. purchases. The Retail Council of Canada has sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day on the issue as well. The chamber issued a release last week saying the Canada Border Services Agency may not be acting as diligently as it should be in collecting taxes.

Maybe a little re-branding is in order - sort of a like - a truth in advertising moment. RCC now morphs into the Retail Council of Snitches as in keeping with their new found role.