The Senate approved the Tourism Promotion Act in February. The idea here is to encourage people from foreign countries to be tourists in the US. Has the Senate looked around lately? People don't need any encouragement to come here. They need encouragement to leave. Maybe that's the plan. Come in. Look around. Thanks for stopping by now get out.

The act plans to tax each visitor $10 per visit. I wonder if they get a discount for bringing in a specially marked Coke can. Will there be lower rates in our off season?

Here's what I see happening. A bunch of people will have to be hired to collect this $10 tax. Sounds good. Job creation. But it's a job that doesn't need to be a job. And you know the $10 isn't going to fund what will become a whole new government department. What's going to happen here is that we're going to get a new department, an oversight committee, our politicians will have to fly around being world wide tourists to see what will bring world wide tourists to the US (an excuse to take more vacations on tax payer money is what that is) the $10 won't cover these costs, they'll raise the tax, fewer tourists will visit because they can't afford it, those that can will spend less and then the government will tax us to keep the program going while telling us how much money they are bringing in.

If you've ever stayed at a NYC hotel, you are already charged (over and above the room charge) a city tax, a room tax AND an "occupancy" tax, although how you can stay in a hotel room without occupying it is beyond me.

Aint is correct about a bureaucracy forming around the tax. Depending on how corrupt the people setting it up are, there will no doubt be offices in Miami, Las Vegas, New York and Honolulu, filled with appointees who are the favorites of some well-placed government bigshots.

There already is a program in place to collect the $10 fee. Simply adding a paypal button to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) would do that job.

The $10 fee (like paying $10 to enter a Computer liquidation sale) would be used to fund the corporation established to promote American tourism. The corporation would be a privately held, non-profit organization. The corporation may well be the point of entry for the favorites of some well-placed government bigshots but it might be subject to some fair-employment laws, too.

The ESTA is used to process potential visitors to America who wish to enter under the Visa Waiver Program. Under that program visitors can enter the country without first applying for a visa and only need a passport, ESTA authorization, and, apparently, $10, as the ESTA is now a free, and required, service.

So the argument to me seems to be whether or not the government should be in the tourism promotion business. The ESTA is certainly a government program, run by the DHS, so adding a fee to it is certainly a government action. Using this fee to fund a corporation would, therefore, be the government involved in tourism promotion. It may be that this $10 collected before travel is $10 not available to spend at businesses in America but if the promotion leads to a greater number of visitors then it might be worth it to these businesses.

I read an argument that the government should just be spending on making the process of entry easier and therefore more enticing to the casual visitor rather than getting in the business of promoting tourism. But if business is the benefactor of this spending shouldn't they also be encouraged to willfully contribute to the upgrading of points of entry rather than depend on the government to spend on it?

I this an f-ing joke?! It's the most outrageous thing I've ever heard of!

For many years it was necessary for me and my countrymen to have a visa to travel to the U.S. whereas Americans could come to my country without one. This has been rectified.

During the communist period foreign visitors to Yugoslavia payed more for rail tickets (for example) then the Yugoslavs.

Strangely, in India, foreigners pay less (!) for rail tickets than Indian citizens.

What is this madness, paying 10 dollars to come to the States? Is it like some sort of cover charge in case we don't spend enough money in the U.S.? Are they so on the verge of bankruptcy that they are begging for the "Good Ol' European Euro" to save them? Oh, these third world countries are pathetic!

This is what happens when you put liberals in charge.