Canadian Border Services agents have been instructed to bend the rules for long weekend travelers to help alleviate headache-inducing lineups, CTV News has learned.

One agent said it’s not uncommon for the CBSA to tell officers to wave through drivers in times of heavy traffic, effectively ignoring federal duty exemptions, which are currently set at $0 for trips of less than 24 hours, and up to $200 for overnight travellers.

“During periods of peak traffic I’ve seen it raised anywhere from $150 to $200 and more per person in order to alleviate the traffic strains,” said Jason McMichael, Customs & Immigration Union spokesman.

A staffing decrease is what’s behind the more relaxed border policies, according to McMichael.

“It's been the union's contention all along that if borders were properly staffed then there'd be no need to compromise any element of our job, whether it's the wave-through thresholds, whether it's protecting Canadians from contraband entering – stopping drugs and guns as we do on a daily basis," he said.

While some cross-border shoppers are applauding the move, others say taxpayers are the ones footing the bill.

“It’s an incredible amount of money that’s being spent on overtime, and to lose the revenue that comes with the duties that would normally be charged is quite concerning,” said Canadian Taxpayers Federation spokesman Jordan Bateman.

B.C. businesses losing customers to cheaper prices in the U.S. are also voicing concern that waving cross-border shoppers through will only worsen the problem.

“They’re going to have a tough time if you’re letting border guards let shoppers come right through,” said Mike Klassen, spokesman for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “Small businesses right along the whole border just keep saying they want a level playing field.”

The revelations is reinforcing a debate about retail prices in Canada – with some businesses calling for tax relief to be able compete with American businesses.

“We need to revisit the tax code, make sure we’re keeping taxes as low as possible and start whittling the taxes across the board of items coming into Canada,” Bateman said.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Penny Daflos