The European Commission is concerned with the U.S. government plans to introduce a tax on tourists. The fact is that the U.S. Congress is now discussing the possibility of imposing a tax of $ 10 dollars for travelers entering the country, followed by the Program Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Introduced on January 12, it provides for the mandatory on-line approval to enter the United States. In most cases, approval is obtained in just a few minutes.
ESTA system is intended for residents of most major European countries, as well as Australia, Japan, Brunei, New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore. Tourists from these countries do not need to get additional visas for short visits to the United States.
U.S. authorities are planning to target tourist money to develop the tourist industry in country and attract new travelers. U.S. citizens and foreign tourists, who have already paid for a visa, will not have to pay a “tourist tax”.
The European Commission rightly believes that attracting tourists to the country with the additional levies is unlikely to succeed.
We recall that the Maldives are actively discussing the introduction of environmental tax, which will be paid for a vacation on the islands by foreign tourists. New tax of $ 3 dollars a day will allow the country to receive an additional approximately 6 million dollars a year. The money received the power of the Maldives Republic plan to launch at improving the environment, combat rising sea levels, and also, perhaps, for the purchase of new lands for local residents, whose islands slowly but surely go under water.
Introduction of tax from tourists is also discussed in Venice for several decades, which is not only flooded with the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, but crowds of tourists, many times exceeding the number of local residents. At the moment, City Council discusses the possibility of limiting access of travelers to Venice, intending to settle for a walk around the city only to those who paid for hotel and tickets to museums and excursions.
