Byrd Amendment Sanctions

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Ok, so this is kind of an obtuse thread, but I know that many people such as myself get their gear from American retailers or companies, so this is modestly important. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has found that the U.S. Government's "Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000" (aka the "Byrd Amendment") is illegal and they've approved retaliatory sanctions against the U.S. That means substantial duties for those importing American products into their respective nation.

I checked the Canadian government's website of suggested target products. Musical instruments are not covered (hurrah!) but amps are (they're described as a "sound reproducing apparatus, not incorporating a sound recording device").

Sorry, this is really boring, but if you're on the fence about bringing in any such equipment from the U.S., it's probably wise to get on it fairly quickly. You should also check to make sure that musical instruments aren't a target of your particular government (the E.U., Mexico, Australia, Japan, and a number of other countries have also been given permission to retaliate with sanctions).

Import duties and taxes are bad enough without this kind of stuff. If you're not in the States, just be aware. Hopefully it will all blow over without the sanctions having to take effect.