[Flexie]

The budget U.S. President Barack Obama submitted to Congress on Monday proposes to slap a $5.50 fee on every visitor from Canada who travels to the U.S. by air or by sea................WHAT!!!!!

For example, on a typical ticket within Canada, you can expect to pay GST and PST/QST as well as a Navcan fee (a fee paid to NAV Canada to operate Canada's air navigation systems), an airport improvement fee (levied by various airports across the country to fund airport improvements), and a federal security charge (to fund security personnel and security equipment). All this adds a heavy tax burden to airlines and customers.

Oh and lets hope that you dont have to pay a surplus for your luggage which has exceeded the required weight...oh and course now you have to pay an additional fee for a second piece of luggage......HA.

Well....I think its ridiculous that we will now be expected to pay a $5.50 fee (per person) when travelling to the USA amongst all the other charges we have to pay for, when does it end?

Hmmmmm I want to go to Bora Bora and stay in one of those over water bungalows and sip margherita's
_________________
- Flexie -

"Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you"

[Hank]

Well, 2 yrs ago I told all of you that supported Obama vs McCain that he'd make his "change" alright but not the ones he promised and he has done just that. A federal deficit in the trillions and wanting to spend even more money. I realize Canadians didn't vote for Obama but they and most of the free world did support his campaign.

[Cheiron]

Well Flexie I dunno how that came about with the extra fee, it does seem a bit weird. Here we also suddenly get new fees on the silliest things, and even without being informed about it !
Is it ONLY for Canadian routes or for any foreign flight to USA?

... however I would like to comment a bit on Hank's above reply, if you don't mind.

1) "his "change" alright but not the ones he promised and he has done just that"
.... umm.... kinda hard when republicans block everything they can, even just for the heck of it, to make his admin. look bad. Oh and John Boehner won majority for republicans in house of representatives as speaker of the house... and as far as I have heard ... they sit on the money.

2) “deficit in the trillions”
.... yes, that I somehow recall that the previous admin. is responsible for

3) "wanting to spend even more money"
... ok you can disagree with that policy, but that is a political stance to stimulate growth shared by many political parties in many countries to turn things around. Also you have a variety of massive social issues to be fixed, and that can’t wait for years.

4) "most of free world supported his campaign"
... well that says a lot doesn't it?... I mean the relationship between e.g. Europe and USA was probably on it's lowest ever during last admin.
_________________
Cheiron
______________________________
"Any scientist with respect for himself should start
the day by rejecting his own pet hypotheses".
(Konrad Lorenz)

"Wir müssen wissen
Wir werden wissen"
(David Hilbert)

[Hank]

LOL Cheiron spoken like a true outsider who doesn't have the slightest clue of what's going on internally here. The previous Admin's deficit was in the billions and we would of made it to the trillions sooner or later no matter which party was in power. But a $700 billion dollar buy out of wall street/banks is almost a trillion alone....who pays for this but the middle class as usual. And as far as teh Republicans blocking things? What happened the first 2 yrs of Obama's admin when he had a Democratic congress? Don't blame the Repubs for trying to put the brakes on his overspending. Well we can argue politics all day long and not change each other's opinions.

[Flexie]

Well Cheiron........as far as I know its for Canadian travellers entering the United States that this $5.50 inspection fee would apply, and this only by air and ship.

According to Statistics Canada, some 16 million Canadians flew into the U.S. in 2009. The $5.50 head tax would add almost US$90 million to U.S. government. Our Prime Minister Stephen Harper says there are better ways for Washington to raise money than to charge Canadians who travel to the United States.

We shall see what happens........if this proposal goes through...then what??? we start charging US to enter into Canada...tit for tat??
_________________
- Flexie -

"Life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you"

[Scotsman]

You know, thinking back to Obama's campaign, the only promise I can recall him making was that things would change. Don't remember him ever specifically saying WHAT would change.

One smooth operator that. But getting his political chops in Chicago (home of such luminaries as Capone and more contemporary Blagojevich) maybe the American people really should have looked a little closer at what was being promised (or not promised).