CBSA's new accounting system has collected over $4.7 billion in duties and taxes since its external launch

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 11, 2024 /CNW/ - The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is the second-largest revenue generator for the Government of Canada, collecting $40 billion a year in duties and taxes on all commercial goods imported to Canada. The aged technology that was being used to do this work was putting this revenue at risk. To address this risk, the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) project was initiated to update information technology systems and processes.

The CARM system has been operational for over a month and is supporting CBSA operations and trade chain partner businesses to account for their goods and pay applicable duties and taxes. To date, the new system has processed over 4.9 million accounting declarations, assessed over $6.8 billion duties and taxes, and collected over $4.7 billion in revenue.

On October 21, 2024, CARM became the official system of record used to assess and collect duties and taxes for commercial goods imported into Canada. Some of its key features are the ability for users to classify and account for their commercial goods, view their transaction history, and make payments. Since it's launch, over 15,700 new businesses have registered on the CARM Client Portal, bringing the total number of registered users to over 115,000.

As expected with the rollout of a major digital systems like CARM, the CBSA anticipated initial challenges and a temporary increase in support inquiries. User inquiries to date have largely been related to portal registration and system availability, and the Agency recognizes these are valid concerns. As such, temporary transition measures to prevent delays or reduce the risk of penalties were put in place, including the use of a customs broker business number (BN15) to clear goods when needed, and the temporary suspension of financial security requirements for Release Prior to Payment participants.

Since the external launch of CARM on October 21, 2024, the CBSA reports:

• Total Commercial Accounting Declarations processed: over 4.9 million
• Total calculated duties and taxes: over $6.8 billion
• Total payments received: approximately $4.7 billion
• Client registrations since external launch: over 15,700
• Border wait times: no delays or impacts

Quick facts

• The CBSA consulted extensively with trade chain partners on the release of CARM. Between 2018 and 2022, the CBSA held almost 100 consultations and technical working group sessions with trade chain partners and conducted more than 160 direct-engagement events. The Agency also completed several test cycles, including more than 10 months of simulation with the direct participation of CBSA employees and industry. Since January 1, 2024, CBSA has delivered or participated in 43 CARM webinars, reaching more than 8,500 participants.
• The service standard for the availability of the CARM platform is 99.9% availability. In the first four weeks since the launch, the service standard was 90.8%. The root cause of the CARM issue impacting service was identified and resolved within 72 hours, other issues which have resulted in system performance issues have also been resolved in partnership with Shared Services Canada. System performance monitoring is a built in feature of CARM.
• To support CARM users, the Agency has been publishing updates to the CARM bulletins web page, which allows users to stay informed of important updates, such as planned outages, known issues, and resolution times.
• The CARM Client Support Helpdesk continues to be available to provide support. To respond to the ongoing high volume of support calls the Helpdesk team has added additional resources and dedicated a work flow for CARM registration enquiries. User guides and the CARM Go-Live Playbook are also available on the User guides web page to help clients navigate the CARM Client Portal. Clients requiring support for Electronic Data Interchange or Application Program Interface may contact the CARM Technical Support Unit.

Associated Links

• CARM: CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management project
• Access the CARM Client Portal
• CARM client service and helpdesk
• Customs Notice 24-27: CARM October Implementation – Transition Measures
• Bulletins - CARM
• CBSA phasing in CARM: launching internally for CBSA use as planned in May and later in the fall for trade chain partners
• Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 158, Number 11

For non-media CARM inquiries or to join the CARM distribution list, please contact: [email protected]

Follow us on Twitter (@CanBorder), join us on Facebook or visit our YouTube channel.

SOURCE Canada Border Services Agency

Contacts: Media Relations: Canada Border Services Agency, [email protected], 613-957-6500 or 1-877-761-5945