From: Steve Grammont (islander@midmaine.com)
Date: Fri Aug 13 2004 - 09:47:32 PDT
Hi Rick,
>There is an exception to every rule. Under the guidelines if the country
>using the equipment has modified it enough to be considered a seperate
>vehicle it is not subject to the restrictions of the SME list.
And I am sure there are more exceptions than the Canadian point of origin
and the modification angle (forgot about that one! Thanks). The problem
is that we collectors have to stumble upon these things because the Gov't
doesn't have a handy FAQ entitled "how to sidestep all of our
restrictions" :-) The one exception I personally am not comfortable is
the "roll the dice and home Customs doesn't spot it". Even though that
has probably been the most widely used method of reimportation, I for one
don't have the cash to waste on paying Customs to house my vehicle for a
year or two while things get sorted out if I got caught.
BTW folks... trust your own reading of the laws more than any Gov't agent
you get on the phone (unless you get someone who specializes in it). My
experience with BATF and Customs when researching this is that they don't
know squat about MVs. BATF even told me that they couldn't understand
why I was calling them and why a Form 6 would apply to an unarmed 60 year
old vehicle. Turns out I knew more about the regs than the agent did.
Remember... that kind of uniformed answer from an agent won't help you if
your stuff is being held up by a Customs agent who isn't ignorant of the
rules. "Ignorance Is No Excuse" in the eyes of the law.
Steve
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