Chambers of commerce from five border cities are presenting a united front against an American push to drastically change the duty-free threshold.
The Trump administration is demanding the de minimis threshold (DMT) be increased from $20 to $800 as part of the ongoing NAFTA negotiations.
Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce President Shirley de Silva says that could be devastating for the Canadian economy.
"Raising the de minimis threshold to $800 U.S. would result in the loss of up to 300,000 jobs by 2020 and a loss of labour income by up to $9.2-billion," says de Silva.
She says the threat is especially dangerous for border communities.
"Americans can order $800 U.S. from Canadian e-commerce sites without paying any duties or taxes and the limit for Canadians is $20. We feel that's really important because Americans actually have a built in advantage. They have no national sales tax, so there's a 12% advantage."
The Sarnia-Lambton chamber has joined counterparts in Windsor-Essex, Greater Niagara, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay to form a coalition in opposition to any change in the duty-free threshold.
