user fee

The government’s proposal to quadruple the fee on pardon applications is met with resistance.

Last month, Tony Clement seemed to raise the possibility of new or higher user fees. A day later he seemed to disavow the possibility of new user fees. And a few days after he seemed to categorically dismiss the possibility. And so here is how his office now explains plans by various departments to increase user fees.

Having both raised and dismissed the possibility of new user fees last week, Industry Minister Tony Clement confirmed to reporters yesterday his government’s disinterest.

Stephen Harper is on record as saying that, so long as he’s Prime Minister, “there will be no new taxes.” Yesterday, Mr. Harper’s Industry Minister suggested there will be some new user fees.

Followers of the English language may note that if, in the government’s estimation, there is no difference between a “copyright levy”—collected by the government from those who make a specific purchase for use toward to a specific purpose—and a “tax,” there would seem consequently to be even less room to claim a difference between an “airport user fee” and a “tax.”

John Baird says the government will increase the airport security fee charged to air travelers, the opposition critics say this is a tax and this is perhaps relevant because the Prime Minister once said, “I give you my word, as long as I will be Prime Minister … there will be no new taxes.” (In fairness, he said “no new taxes,” which wouldn’t, one supposes, necessarily preclude him from increasing taxes that already exist.)