Comments on: Taking the Mickey http://crookedtimber.org/2008/06/30/taking-the-mickey/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:39:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: DWAnderson http://crookedtimber.org/2008/06/30/taking-the-mickey/comment-page-1/#comment-244904 DWAnderson Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:24:27 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/?p=7017#comment-244904 For obvious reasons, the airlines despise this tax. For obvious reasons, the airlines despise this tax.

]]> By: Tracy W http://crookedtimber.org/2008/06/30/taking-the-mickey/comment-page-1/#comment-244746 Tracy W Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:20:32 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/?p=7017#comment-244746 From memory, when I was working for the NZ government, every now and then there was an attempt to impose a fee on overseas visitors to pay for the national parks, at which point the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would point out we had signed some international agreement that we would only impose fees on overseas visitors that were directly related to the costs of providing the ports and port services. For the life of me I can't recall the name of the agreement, but it would not surprise me that the USA had signed it too. I am mentioning it in the hope that someone else will remember it. Secondly, from my experience, the winner for arguments for more government spending is the NZ film industry. If it is doing badly, it argues that it needs government funding to improve matters. If it is doing well, government funding is obviously essential in order for it to build on its successes! The LOTR films were vital to kickstart the NZ film industry (the films got a tax break), and once they were done, more government funding was vital to take advantage of the wonderful benefits of the LOTR films. From memory, when I was working for the NZ government, every now and then there was an attempt to impose a fee on overseas visitors to pay for the national parks, at which point the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would point out we had signed some international agreement that we would only impose fees on overseas visitors that were directly related to the costs of providing the ports and port services. For the life of me I can’t recall the name of the agreement, but it would not surprise me that the USA had signed it too. I am mentioning it in the hope that someone else will remember it.

Secondly, from my experience, the winner for arguments for more government spending is the NZ film industry. If it is doing badly, it argues that it needs government funding to improve matters. If it is doing well, government funding is obviously essential in order for it to build on its successes! The LOTR films were vital to kickstart the NZ film industry (the films got a tax break), and once they were done, more government funding was vital to take advantage of the wonderful benefits of the LOTR films.

]]> By: Down and Out of Sài Gòn http://crookedtimber.org/2008/06/30/taking-the-mickey/comment-page-1/#comment-244667 Down and Out of Sài Gòn Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:45:23 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/?p=7017#comment-244667 <i>The Travel Promotion Act creates a public-private partnership to do that at NO COST TO AMERICAN TAXPAYERS and is modeled after programs at the state level (e.g., Florida and California) and countries around the world.</i> That makes no sense. Does California tax visitors from Arizona and New Mexico? I think not. The Travel Promotion Act creates a public-private partnership to do that at NO COST TO AMERICAN TAXPAYERS and is modeled after programs at the state level (e.g., Florida and California) and countries around the world.

That makes no sense. Does California tax visitors from Arizona and New Mexico? I think not.

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