The new passport prices take effect next week, on July 13. So you’ll save money by applying or renewing this week. How much? Here are some
comparisons:
> Adult passport: New fee: $135. Old fee: $100
> Adult passport renewal: New fee: $110. Old fee: $75
> Minor passport (under age 16): New fee: $105. Old fee; $85
> Adult passport card (allows border crossings by land): New fee: $55. Old fee: $45
> Minor passport card: New fee: $40. Old fee: $35
> Extra visa pages: New fee: $82. Old fee: It was free of charge
The plan to raise the fees, first proposed in February, has been protested by some congressmen, AAA and other organizations. In fact, more than 70% of
the 1,797 public comments filed with the State Department “expressed concern about the increase,” the department said.
But Brenda Sprague, deputy assistant secretary of State for passport affairs, has said the fee increases are needed to cover rising costs, including
high-tech security features added to passports and new passport facilities being built to keep up with demand.
To learn how to apply for a passport or renew one, go to the State Department’s website for travelers. For details on the fee increases and the debate
surrounding them, check out the “interim final rule” section of the Federal Register — at more than dozen pages, not exactly light reading.
–Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editorBajahowodd - 7-6-2010 at 04:13 PM
The sad fact is that US citizens have the lowest percentage of passport holding, within the industrialized world. Even given the European Union which
has made travel among their countries easy by only requiring a photo ID such as on a drivers' license, there is a higher percentage of passport
holders than in the US. While I can't speculate as the whether raising the fees will further depress the numbers, I cannot imagine it will help.
Not sad
Dave - 7-6-2010 at 04:33 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
The sad fact is that US citizens have the lowest percentage of passport holding, within the industrialized world.
Grateful.
Those without passports are mostly folks who couldn't pick out a different continent if given a map. They need to stay home...really. woody with a view - 7-6-2010 at 04:58 PM
still got 8 years on ours....Packoderm - 7-6-2010 at 06:23 PM
Not sad: most of the world's geographical features can be found within the U.S. territory. It's like a big American Union. It's nice not to need a
passport the travel the different states. Maybe higher passport fees will encourage more domestic tourism keeping the money here.Mexray - 7-6-2010 at 11:57 PM
Another shining example of the 'No new Taxes for those earning under $250K' policy, as stated over and over by many members of the current federal
administration...
Raymtgoat666 - 7-7-2010 at 05:56 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Mexray
Another shining example of the 'No new Taxes for those earning under $250K' policy, as stated over and over by many members of the current federal
administration...
Ray
it's not a tax. it's a fee. why should taxpayers fund passports for middle and upper class travelers and business travelers? you want to travel,
then you should pay for costs of travel. you don't want to pay passport fee, then don't get a passport.Cypress - 7-7-2010 at 06:08 AM
Same logic. Why should taxpayers fund welfare checks for deadbeats? You want money, go to work. Why should people that are childless pay school taxes?
And on and on.....mtgoat666 - 7-7-2010 at 06:14 AM
perhaps society thinks that passports are not necesities, and school and welfare are necesities?
you know you have met a crumudgeon when they start compalining about taxes funding schools. what cretin thinks education is not a basic necesity?
p.s. perhaps if cypress had voted for one more school bond i would have learned to type better and make fewer mistakes
[Edited on 7-7-2010 by mtgoat666]capt. mike - 7-7-2010 at 07:09 AM
"p.s. perhaps if cypress had voted for one more school bond i would have learned to type better and make fewer mistakes"
hahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!
classic liberal tax me till i am dead thinking!!
the illiterate whining goat blames his lack of self structure and discipline in school, and failure to capture the basics & fundamentals on the
fact that not enough money was fostered towards his "training"..... what a lame excuse. You need a history lesson and what was accomplished by 8th
graders in the 19th century using often not more than a McGuffey Reader & a strict Marm in a wooden one room shack with a dirt floor.
sorry goat boy but you left yourself wide open with that wiseCRACK....Cypress - 7-7-2010 at 07:21 AM
All the usual arguments tossed out by liberals to support their lame claims have been debunked by facts. They resort to insults, name-calling, and
outright lies to silence critics. It's no longer effective.BillP - 7-7-2010 at 08:19 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666
it's not a tax. it's a fee.
BS. Calling it a fee is a dumbed down convolution, if you are required to give the government money for anything, it's a tax, period!capt. mike - 7-7-2010 at 08:25 AM
any "fee", if instituted by government, is simply a tax wearing a mask to hide its onerous appearance to make it pretty.BillP - 7-7-2010 at 08:27 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by capt. mike
any "fee", if instituted by government, is simply a tax wearing a mask to hide its onerous appearance to make it pretty.
Kinda like putting perfume on a pig, ain't it.Joelt - 7-7-2010 at 08:45 AM
Are passport fees tax deductible?capt. mike - 7-7-2010 at 08:52 AM
most definitely if incidental to your work or business and you are not recompensed for them by your employer.
i write mine off as part of business travel & entertainment expense since we regularly take clients and subs to Mexico.
Also if you need it for charity work allowed under 501 C charters.
So Sad Fact ?
MrBillM - 7-7-2010 at 09:16 AM
"Americans have the lowest percentage of Passport Holders".
SAD ? Not really.
Living in the Greatest country on earth with a wealth of fantastic places to see makes traveling to Europe and the Third-World less enticing.MitchMan - 7-7-2010 at 09:56 AM
A benefit of childless people paying taxes that support education of school children is for childless people to do their fair share to contribute to
the furtherance of our society.
William F. Buckley once said that one of the main purposes/fucntion/duty of women is to have children. A Christian fundamentalist friend of mine told
me that God's plan is for we humans to grow up, get married and have children. A requirement of a society (actually of the human race) is to
procreate not only to avoid extinction but to survive beyond middle age as a society.
You see, there is a point well before one reaches the average mortality age where physical and mental incapacity prevents doing many tasks well
required for a society to survive well, such as construction work, fighting wars, plumbing, policing, road construction, fire fighting, surgery,
starting a new business, etc., etc., etc.
How many generations of life would a society last if everyone in that society decided to be childless? After how many years of a permanent holiday of
childbirth would that society start to really feel the effects of no more new additions of people? Think about it. Think about it hard and then you
will start to see the big picture here.
Now I ask you, why should a young couple have to pay( k-12) not only money but time and effort for the care, nurturing, education, grooming,
discipline, room and board of their newborn through to that child's majority so that society has another human that will contribute a service to a
childless couple?
Keep in mind that when you pay a doctor to fix your broken arm, you are only reimbursing/compensating the doctor for the training and skill obtained
after the doctor was 18. Up to that point, the preponderance of the cost for the successful existance of that 18 year old was born by the parents.
So, if you still feel that paying taxes that directly or indirectly go toward the furtherance of the children of a couple who are not childless, then
think of what it would be for you if you stopped receiving any and all benefits you receive directly or indirectly from people that are younger than
you now. Also, project that circumstance into your future as you get older. Do you want to have to call an 80 year old to fix your roof, or an 80
year old nurse to help you to take a shower when you are 80, to fight a forest fire, to stop an oil leak one mile under the ocean, or to go to
Afghanistan to fight the Taliban? Hmmmm?
[Edited on 7-7-2010 by MitchMan]vandenberg - 7-7-2010 at 10:03 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by MrBillM
"Americans have the lowest percentage of Passport Holders".
SAD ? Not really.
Living in the Greatest country on earth with a wealth of fantastic places to see makes traveling to Europe and the Third-World less enticing.
Very true Bill.
As a born Dutchman who left Holland at the age of 25, it has always be beyond me, why anyone would spend his hard earned money to visit Holland, or
most of Europe for that matter. Even the girls aren't nearly as attractive as portrayed to the rest of the world, Believe me.
mtgoar....you just don't get it, do you....
Mexray - 7-7-2010 at 11:06 AM
...Call the 'increase' anything you want - it's still taxing we citizens at a greater rate - so call it a 'fee' increase if you want - it's still
giving another bloated govt dept more of our hard earned money for no increase in value to us...
What is different from the passport you receive on 7/12 from the one that costs more on 7/13?
All levels of govt have to have more and more of our $'s to exist and expand their lifestyles...they don't want to impose direct tax increases as they
know we'll rebel at some point...so they find all these incremental ways of adding fees and hidden taxes for the things we do and consume in our
everyday lives...
It never ends, and actually gets worse as the normal tax streams become lesser due to unemployment - the cops write more tickets, state depts add FEE
increases and taxes to all their documents, DMV depts add huge annual increases - for what? Are you getting anything more for these increases?
I believe I've read that govt now employes more people than does private business - just think of that for a moment - how long can the USA continue to
be viable with such a large civil population? The greater the number of govt workers, the greater the amount of 'fees' and taxes they need to collect
from the rest of us to provide for their very existence!
It's going to get worse before it gets any better, IMHO!
