Well, this one slipped through quietly didnt it
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The Federal Government has announced it will increase the cost of passports to help pay for its election promises.

From January 1, 2011, a new passport will cost $226, up from the current price of $208.

The penalty for a replacement passport will also rise from $69 to $100.

Labor says passport fees will then increase annually in line with inflation.

The Government says the changes will add $193 million to the budget over the next four years.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/09/2976998.htm?section=justin

This is one of those taxes that really rankles.

Pay for the passport, pay through the nose to park at the airport, pay to return, pay pay pay.

Is it true that at Sydney airport you have to pay to catch the train from domestic to international terminals??

"Airport Link offers a $5.00 (one way, per person) transfer ticket for passengers transferring between T1 International and T2/T3 Domestic Terminals. The journey takes only 2 minutes and there are frequent services between 5am and midnight, 7 days a week."

I don't know of any other airport that charges to travel between terminals.

smacking outrageous.

C'mon Verge et al, you are getting really petty with this one...

The increased fee is chicken feed, in the overall scheme of things - especially relative to the costs of international travel!

Seriously, the administrative cost of processing a Passport application is not covered by the current fee - and I doubt that the increased figure will cover it either!

FFS, this once-off fee covers the provision of a unique adult travel-cum-identity document - and associated administration of international safety and security matters - for a whole 10 years!

As for cynically peddling this as a revenue measure: pffttt!

Please delete wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 11:20am:

This is one of those taxes that really rankles. Pay for the passport, pay through the nose to park at the airport, pay to return, pay pay pay.

Tax ?

Australia's airports were sold to private enterprise under the Howard Government, as part of the fire sale that also  included the bulk of Australia's gold reserves

Where do you think the surplus came from ?

Everything you say is true equitist, but I still hate it.

I hate taxes that target "captive taxpayers".

In the scheme of things $200 for a passport is bugger all.

It lasts 10 years I use mine atleast annually, so its $20 a year if you can't afford that then maybe you should not vote labor because an ETS or carbon tax will cost you more than $20 a week lettleown a year???


But no vote labor vote for higher taxes always has been always will be.

Please delete wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 11:53am:

Everything you say is true equitist, but I still hate it. I hate taxes that target "captive taxpayers".

As it happens, I'm about to process passport renewals for my sons - as their current ones expire in April 2010 and we're going to the US in January...

I think we can get Visas to travel within 6 months of expiry - but kids change a lot in 5 years and the photos on their passports don't much resemble either of them now (especially the 15 year old, who now looks uncannily like Hugh Jackman and is currently sporting Wolverine sideburns)...

Paying to prove you're an Australian - bizarre.

I will also have to renew mine - the last 10 year passport got used once.

This is the major difference between Labor and Liberal, Labor have pointed out how they are going to pay for things if re elected, Abbott and the Libs still refuse to release an economic policy so people can judge their policy, why is that? maybe the Libs intend to make passports 300 dollars, who knows, they wont release a policy so we can see.

skippy. wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 12:05pm:

This is the major difference between Labor and Liberal, Labor have pointed out how they are going to pay for things if re elected, Abbott and the Libs still refuse to release an economic policy so people can judge their policy, why is that? maybe the Libs intend to make passports 300 dollars, who knows, they wont release a policy so we can see.

You want answers not motherhood statements Skip??????
C'mon relax lie back & think of the coalition, you know everything's going to be alright with Tony at the helm.