Being a Portuguese footwear company looking to penetrate the Canadian market, SANJO can benefit from the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada. Under CETA, almost 98% of all tariff charges on EU or Canadian products have been eliminated, which would reduce or eliminate tariffs on Portuguese footwear exports to Canada.
For such tariff removals or exemptions, SANJO is required to certify that its product meets the rule of origin needs of CETA. This certification is achieved through demonstrating that the footwear is an EU originating item, and the same can be achieved by ensuring a declaration of origin on the commercial invoice. For exports totaling over €6,000, SANJO needs to be an REEX (Registered Exporter) and the REX number on the declaration.
Canada also charges a Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5% on imported products. Some provinces have a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), which is both federal and provincial sales taxes, but only the federal 5% applies on imports.