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Travel Promotion Act signed into law; visitors to U.S. who don't require visa to be hit with $10 fee
We've given you our skeptical takes on the proposed Travel Promotion Act before (see here and here, for starters), but it appears our complaints have fallen on deaf ears. President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act (TPA) into law earlier today.
Of course, because the new law does not require any U.S. taxpayer dollars, it was passed with bipartisan support. Apparently the stupidity of taxing visitors to the U.S. in order to encourage them to visit was lost on most of the U.S. Congress.
The European Union-- no surprise-- is displeased by the new legislation, and is considering retaliating against it by charging U.S. visitors to Europe a $10 fee.
As I've noted before, there's a better, cheaper way to promote foreign travel to the United States:
Add more countries to the Visa Waiver Program. Stop requiring every visitor to the US (except those from the 35 "low-risk" countries already in the program) to go through the hassle, expense, and impossibly long wait that obtaining a visa inevitably entails.
Another skeptical look at the TPA here. A more positive one is here.
Filed under: Business, United States, Consumer Activism
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
blablabla Mar 6th 2010 10:14AM
Tax-tax......This idea probably came to obama while he was wiping his azz with his roll of American flag toilet paper...
frank Mar 5th 2010 7:43PM
good job obama way to go i hope all democraps are voted out
jan Mar 5th 2010 7:44PM
What a way to say "welcome" to the USA... $10.00 is not great in comparison to the initial cost of the trip, it's just the welcome to america message we are giving them. The really sad part is it probably will not increase the tourism intake as we all know when the government finds a new way to increase ones budget, they simply remove what they now give them from the general budget. This is just one more of those back door tax intakes our politicians are infamous for.
DJ Mar 5th 2010 7:54PM
I've paid departure taxes from other countries, so what's the difference? You pay coming in or going out. So stop the Obama bashing and the government bashing. There is an isolationist attitude brewing in this country by the Right Wing anyway.
heather Mar 5th 2010 8:18PM
when you take a cruise to thec aribbean ,mexico,etc you have to pay port fees and taxes so how is this any different?
jeff Mar 5th 2010 9:22PM
Where did you read "mexican" in my post? Yes it was implied. For the record I truly like mexicans. They work very hard and are polite. The problem is they are the overwhelming illegal problem. Its time for Mexico to get its shit together and keep their citizens happy and employed. Does this really have anything to do with the article? No. This was a stupid Idea to raise revenue as stupid to charge $10 for visitors.
SamBlob Mar 5th 2010 10:30PM
Well, at least those of us who have to go through the process of getting US visas don't have to pay that.
Then again, maybe we do; they might just raise the cost of applying for a visa to cover it.
My biggest reason for not applying for a US visa is that I am not enough of a gambler to spend close to fifteen thousand Jamaican dollars for a *chance* to get a visa.
s Mar 6th 2010 6:14PM
Who says the tax is intended to increase travel to the U.S.? Tax is instituted in an effort to increase revenue.
And didn't I just finish saying, this is not an isolated thing? Other Countries do it. It doesn't make it right , and it doesn't make it wrong. But with the tax only being $10.00, I must repeat, I really don't see it hurting incoming travel in the least. I didn't flinch when I realized I would be charged to enter The Philippines. It was just something I knew I would have to do.You Pay a lot more to have your passport done up. You pay a great deal for the plane ticket. You pay a great deal for food at Air Port Terminals. Heck I would rather pay the $10.00 to enter the U.S. than to pay $10.00 for a Mc Donalds Hamburg and Fries at the terminal. Which is what they charge.
Dick P Mar 11th 2010 1:26PM
for the brilliant a-holes that want to raise postal rates and do away with saturday mail delivery. why don't the have a mail box tax of $5 dollars accross the country each year to be paid in your state or county taxes. How many billions would be generated to bail out the whining U.S.Postal Service ? Food For thought for some Highly paid MORON in Washington to think about
Arnaud Nov 17th 2010 12:33PM
The one thing I do not understand is why don't they apply this tax to the american citizens? I think it would make sense to have Americans pay for their own Tourism industry and not the travellers who already want to come to the US!