Customs Service: Passenger User Fee Needs to Be Reevaluated
GGD-95-138
Published: May 22, 1995. Publicly Released: Jun 21, 1995.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the passenger user fees (PUF) that the Customs Service charges all passengers entering the United States by sea or air, focusing on: (1) whether carriers have collected and remitted PUF as required; (2) factors hampering the collection of PUF; and (3) options for improving the collection and remittance of PUF.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Congress may want to consider requiring Customs to evaluate the feasibility of various options to increase collection of PUF, such as changing the fee collection and remittance system to one similar to other Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act user fee systems, or billing carriers for the fee. | Customs' Office of Finance performed a feasibility test of the recommendation using Singapore Airlines as the subject. The test concluded that the collection options and several submitted by the OIG were not workable nor feasible. No further action is intended. | |
| Congress may want to consider requiring Customs to recommend legislative changes that would be necessary to implement options that are considered feasible and cost-beneficial. | Customs' Office of Finance performed a feasibility test of the recommendation and concluded that various options were not workable nor feasible. No further action is intended. |
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Topics
Air transportationPassengersCommon carrier operationsCustoms administrationInternational travelNoncomplianceTariffsTransportation industryUser feesWater transportation