In a move that has stunned the EU and other friendly nations, United States Customs and Border Safety has announced plans to enact a traveler levy today. This tourist tax will require travelers from 36 nations to pay a $14 “operational and travel promotion” cost to enter the U.S.. The only exception to the rule of those who pay are travelers with United States visas. Yahoo! News explains this.
Numerous wonder if EU is right about tourist tax being ‘inconsistent with facilitating transatlantic mobility’
There is one group of individuals that really doesn’t like the thought of a United States of America operational and travel promotion fee. The EU has made really clear its opinion. Air and sea travelers from nations ranging from Australia and Germany to France, Japan and also the United Kingdom (among many other nations large and small) can be subject to the fee. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) used to be free as it checked foreign tourists against terrorist databases and no fly lists, but now the fee, as outlined by Homeland Security, can be paid for with the tourist levy. The New York Times reports that tourists are now required to have Internet access and a credit or debit card so they can go through the ESTA program and pay the vacationer tax. If the tourists are denied by ESTA, they must apply for a more expensive, non-immigrant visa at a United States embassy or consulate. There is one shady part of this. ESTA does not have to tell applicants why they didn’t get in.
Your tourist dollars
The travel promotion fee only costs $10, says Homeland Security. $4 extra is paid for administration costs that are there. In case you are a traveler, just don’t forget one thing. Every little thing goes a lot better with an ESTA application submitted before really traveling. ESTA authorization means one can travel to the U.S. numerous times in a two-year period unless the Homeland Security decides the vacationer needs to reapply or the visa expires. CBP.gov is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s site which is where you can discover the traveler levy, or “operational and travel promotion fee” info.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/national/08062010_2.xml
Yahoo! News
news.yahoo.com/s/ynewspoint/20100907/ts_ynewspoint/ynewspoint_ts3556
