Obama stealing my policy ideas!

[William Ashley]

I do advocate for droping visa and instituting a security deposit / entry fee basis - individuals pay an entry fee adjusted based on cost for that citizen to entry in the country (while countries with a surplus may be encouraged to enter Canada with a bonus or reward of some sort - or Canadian Credit (money that can be spent in Canada like social credit for Canadians if the relationship is that benificial for Canada), countries that have a drain on Canada would pay the entry fee. Individuals also would be required to pay a security deposit (that is returned minus entry)

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2011/02/16/obama-budget-canada-fee.html

This is just a flat fee of $5.50 and I'm not sure where it is coming from. Or why it is for air and sea, but not land.

I'm guessing this is $50 million or so.

Edited February 17, 2011 by William Ashley

[Oleg Bach]

Canada is just a huge amusement park...charging entry is a good idea...and once the person is here...we can tax them into oblivion.

[Moonlight Graham]

No problem. We can just change them $5.50 right back at them, or adjust the price for whatever discrepancy there is between the number of US and Canada travelers back n forth.

[William Ashley]

No problem. We can just change them $5.50 right back at them, or adjust the price for whatever discrepancy there is between the number of US and Canada travelers back n forth.

Its not the same.. americans travelling to Canada probably are actually travelling to Canada --- sometimes such as two americans going to korea were taking a flight via Canada - however the US and Canadian system are different.. in Canada an onward flight is onward.. in the US you have to enter the US legally then go onward.. meaning anyway catching a connecting flight will be stuck with paying a fee -- this little hastle forces them to aquire toilet paper american money.. and of this including change etc.. it isn't the end of the world but these sorts of onward travel fees are markups on airticket fares, not actually fees for entering the country - something most people I have spoke to that take onward travel or did, would never consider doing if they had the choice of just catching their connecting flight.

Ticket prices in Canada have slowly been jacked up and they arn't competitive with US fares, meaning more near border canadians will probably consider crossing the border on land than cathc their flight from a nearby US airport. These are only marginal prompts but they add up when the price in Canada is markedly increasing, it makes Canada less competitive and removes income from Canadian airports. Bear in mind that most of Canada's population lives within 100 miles of the US border.

Edited February 17, 2011 by William Ashley

[Yukon Jack]

First of all, the proposed levy by Obama does not apply to Canadians who travel to the States by land i.e. car.

And since I am retired and have the time not to go through the pain of airport security, I travel by car, I really don't give a care about those who might have to pay this levy. If you don't like it, don't go there.

Don't bash Obama! This is the first time EVER, that he wants something accomplished without hurting Americans.

[Mr.Canada]

The cost of air travel in Canada is most times 2 to 3 times that of the cost that it is in the States but Canadians want to freak out over five bucks?

They should be demonstrating over the inflated total cost of air fare not this new $5 charge.

[Muddy]

Cuba and the Dominican charge a heck of a lot more to get out of their dumps. Your free to come or go. Just pay the piper or don`t go.

[jbg]

I'm a U.S. citizen and I think that charging these kind of taxes is a very bad idea. We should welcome, not repel, our brethren. Maybe from outside the U.S. and Canada we should charge.

[Guest American Woman]

It's $5.50 so if someone is going to fret over it, I doubt they can afford the trip in the first place. But of course it's Canadians' choice to fly through the U.S. or not, but Canada has fees tied into airline tickets into their country, too.

[bush_cheney2004]

I'm a U.S. citizen and I think that charging these kind of taxes is a very bad idea. We should welcome, not repel, our brethren. Maybe from outside the U.S. and Canada we should charge.

I'm a US citizen too, and consider Canada to be "our brethren" no more or less than Mexico, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, etc. Charge 'em all five bucks and give their kids a Happy Meal.

[Guest American Woman]

I'm a US citizen too, and consider Canada to be "our brethren" no more or less than Mexico, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, etc. Charge 'em all five bucks and give their kids a Happy Meal.

Canada is treated differently than the others you mention, though. When filling out customs papers upon return to the U.S. yesterday, there was a form that everyone "other than residents of the U.S. and Canada" had to fill out.

[Wilber]

The reason it is by air and sea only is quite simple. It makes it more attractive for Canadians to drive across the border to take air and sea trips from the US but doesn't discourage cross border shopping.

I recently took a flight from Vancouver to San Diego. Departure taxes YVR $67. Departure taxes SAN $17

[Smallc]

Departure taxes YVR $67. Departure taxes SAN $17

Many of those departure taxes in YVR were US taxes though.

[Wilber]

Many of those departure taxes in YVR were US taxes though.

Yes but some of them are taxes they don't charge on departures out of the US. Now they want to add another. It doesn't matter who is charging the tax, bottom line is you pay more in taxes flying out of Canada.

[Smallc]

Yes but some of them are taxes they don't charge on departures out of the US. Now they want to add another. It doesn't matter who is charging the tax, bottom line is you pay more in taxes flying out of Canada.

Yes, you do, and I guess your point is that those taxes don't stop people.

[Wilber]

My point is they encourage Canadians to fly out of US airports.

[Wilber]

Last night Global BC did a segment on why it is so expensive to fly out of YVR. Parking is the most expensive in Canada. Long term $2 a day more than YYZ. Short term $12.75 an hour. Actual fares have never been cheaper. You can get a ticket from Vancouver to London for $349 but the taxes are over $500. On some flights the taxes can be up to three times the fare. Not all of those taxes are due to YVR but someone can easily save a couple of hundred bucks just on the tax portion of some tickets by flying out of Bellingham or Seattle. That is just the taxes that are added to the ticket price, not differences in fuel and other taxes carriers flying out of Canada are subject to.

[Smallc]

There's no question, after they're done with corporate taxes, airline taxes are where the Conservatives should focus their attention. That said, given their current fiscal predicament, I can't see the current situation in the US continuing forever. They are going to have to collect revenue somehow.

[Wilber]

Possibly but blaming higher Canadian air fares on the airlines is far too simplistic.

[Smallc]

Possibly but blaming higher Canadian air fares on the airlines is far too simplistic.

I don't think it would be correct to say that at all.