Increasing the Tax Base - Group 2

We have an enormous number of people coming here from other countries. They are called "Tourists". They come by plane, train, bus, car, and cruise ship. And God Bless them! Many cities and states depend on the tourist dollar to survive. They visit our amusement parks, museums, national parks, eat in our restaurants, sleep in our hotels, rent cars, buy clothing, souvenirs, food, and all the things that tourists do when they are on vacation. Tourists don’t have jobs in the US, so they are not required to pay taxes.

Tourists don't pay taxes, but they have the use of our social services all the same. Social services such as police and fire, courts, and yes, even military protection, to name a few. But they contribute nothing to the costs of these services. Oh, you could say that when they pay a state sales tax they are paying for those services and you would be right. But, don't forget, they do enjoy the protection of the Federal government too.

For example: Transportation Safety Administration (TSA). Think of the tourists who go through TSA ports every day. As bad as it may be, TSA is a branch of the Federal government and must be paid for somehow. Currently, it's paid for out of our tax dollars.

Another Federal agency is the military. When foreign tourists on in American, they enjoy the protection of the United States military. What? You think that should the US be invaded or attacked, the military will be looking for birth certificates or passports before protecting the citizenry? No, they will protect all of us within the US borders against the terrorist or invader.

In 2003, there were approximately 40.3 million tourists to the United States. They spent approximately $93.7 billion (yes, billion with a “b”) dollars while visiting. I won’t even try to figure how much money that would have meant in tax revenue.

By “adding” international tourists to the “tax rolls” by way of a consumption tax, tax revenue increases dramatically.

We started out with the wage earner and then added the criminal element. Today we added the tourist. What group will be added to the list next?