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 vacationers are now required to have Internet access and a credit or debit card so they can go through the ESTA program and shell out the vacationer tax. The ESTA may deny people in which case they have to shell out for something else. A non-immigrant visa can be what is needed for these people. ESTA can deny somebody without explaining why they are denied.
Your tourist dollars
The travel promotion cost only costs $10, says Homeland Security. $4 extra is paid for administration costs that are there. So long as a tourist submits ESTA application details prior to traveling, the process generally runs smoothly. ESTA authorization means one can travel to the United States of America numerous times in a two-year period unless the Homeland Security decides the traveler needs to reapply or the visa expires. You are able to find more info on the “operational and travel promotion fee” or traveler tax at CBP.gov. This is the website for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Additional reading
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
