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ARTICLE · 06 JANUARY 2004

Living With "AMPS" The New Customs Penalty System

McMillan LLP
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Effective October 7, 2002, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency ("<B>CCR</B>A") introduced the Administrative Monetary Penalty System ("<B>AMP</B>S") for hundreds of different kinds of customs infractions for commercial shipments to or from Canada

CanadaInternational Law
Jamie Wilks
Jamie Wilks
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1. Why Should Auto Par Why Should Auto Parts Manufacturers/Suppliers Care About AMPS?

Effective October 7, 2002, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency ("CCRA") introduced the Administrative Monetary Penalty System ("AMPS") for hundreds of different kinds of customs infractions for commercial shipments to or from Canada. During the ten-month "grace-period" leading up to full implementation of AMPS, CCRA issued notices of AMPS infractions which, if AMPS had then been implemented, would have resulted in millions of dollars of penalties. The notices were intended to warn importers and exporters so that they had the opportunity to correct their errors on future shipments. During this grace-period, the CCRA found an error rate of 20% to 40% in the transactions reviewed, irrespective of the industry. In the first six months of AMPS implementation, CCRA found over 8,100 customs infractions, generating over $5 million in potential penalties under AMPS.

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