Local Christmas travellers to get $1000 duty free allowance
(CNS): Cayman residents travelling this Christmas will enjoy double the usual duty free allowance on their shopping after Cabinet approved an Order under the Customs Tariff regulations, last week, to allow the temporary increase of the duty-free allowance for people returning home by air for the full holiday season. The temporary increase is valid until 6 January but people who can’t afford to travel over Christmas and New Year won’t be given any discount on goods they ship in for the holidays.
From 1 December until 6 January Cayman residents returning from a visit overseas will be allowed to bring in, duty-free, dutiable personal and household goods up to a value of CI$1,000.
“We extend our gratitude to our Premier for supporting this initiative, which aligns with the Government’s overarching goal of enhancing the quality of life for Caymanians,” said the Border Control minister Dwayne Seymour who added that this was to help those struggling with duty costs. “By approving a temporary increase in duty allowances, this measure will help ease the financial burden for individuals and families planning holiday travel, especially those who might struggle to cover additional duty costs.”
Yet the minister had nothing to offer families who are not as fortunate as those wealthy enough to travel at Christmas in the first place by cutting the duty on shipping or any discount on the imports they may want to bring in for gifts.
Dutiable items with a value exceeding this temporary $1000 allowance must be declared on the Customs & Border Control (CBC) form and presented to a CBC Officer upon arrival in the Cayman Islands If a CBC officer suspects that a passenger has either failed to declare items that should be declared, has made a false declaration or is otherwise engaged in the smuggling of contraband, the passenger will be subject to questioning and search by the officer.
Returning residents are advised that the duty-free allowance does not apply to merchandise purchased for resale in their business. Those items must be properly declared and the applicable duty paid.
Government has not said how much it anticipates it will forego in revenue with the temporary increase in allowance.
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Category: Local News
Just evade customs like most people do, nothing to see here keep it moving.
This ‘buy local’ nonsense. Look, if many items weren’t literally twice as much (or even more) as it would cost in the States, people would be more inclined to buy here.
I’m happy to pay a mark-up here, but many times it’s ridiculously expensive, with much less choice, too. If you have a business and can’t make it work, then close the business.
There’s not much of a manufacturing industry here for anything, so the only ‘buy local’ people we’re supporting are the retailers, their minimum wage staff, and the freight businesses that bring it in (and the government cut).
Unbelievable. Has anyone estimated the cost of this or stated what services or funding will be sacrificed so that well off Caymanians can pay even less than usual in duty? Or shall we just add it to the national credit card?
This administration is intellectually bankrupt.
Cayman needs an impartial Office of Budget Responsibility whose job is to estimate the cost of new policies.
That screwed me over. 5 of us (family) went to Tampa 21-24 November for Christmas shopping and had to pay $400+ in duty. Would have been OK with this allowance…
It is hard to believe how stupid our present government is. It only benefits the middle and upper class who can afford to travel overseas for shopping and the seasonal property owners bringing with them their grocery supplies. The local business who depends on the Christmas sales will pay for this ridiculous idea.
When I can buy a product at full retail in the USA, ship it here, pay duty and still have it landed for half of what a local business (who buys it in bulk at wholesale prices) is charging for it, something is wrong.
Half the local shops are just extorting the hell out of local consumers. I have never flown off island to shop, but if I’m off island I will always bring something back even if it’s just to save on shipping. And I promise you, every local “store owner” does this too.
hurting local businesses. #americafirst
IF locals charged a fair price, we would all prefer to buy locally aside for the few times we need more variety. But when the price is inflated to over 3 to 5 times the price it is in the states, they are clearly being greedy so NO THANKS!
Limit should be $750 or $1000 now, at all times. The adjustment to $500 was welcomed, but with inflation now, it’s not much more helpful.
As pointed out, this one benefits those who can afford to travel.
They should be taxing the travellers more over Christmas and distributing the extra funds to the less fortunate and more needy.
Should apply to delivered items as well. Otherwise it’s just another tax on the poor.
No reason none I tell you to shop overseas like Miami when finest clothing options are right here locally made enough with the foolishness I tell you there should be import tax on anyone bringing in purchased goods that tax money can be allocated to civil servants politicians from the people of the community as a Christmas gift of gratitude
Parody or not, use punctuation. I had a stroke trying to read that.
If only some knew what it is or had any interest in learning.
Another “Buy local” incentive from our government.
Yes. Acting against Cayman and our long term interests at every step of the way. State sponsored vote buying. Driving us into social and economic ruin. Unconscionable.
Buy local what? Lcally grown clothes? Goodness, some of you are so miserable and sour that you are not happy even given a good thing. Just because you can’t go anywhere and take advantage of it, therefore noone else should.