Possibility of Fees for Crossing Into Canada?

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The US government is considering imposing fees for pedestrians and vehicles crossing the land borders into Canada and Mexico. Representative Brian Higgins has voiced strong opposition to the fee, saying it would severely hurt cross-border business. ?At a time when we are looking to increase economic activity at our northern border, we should not be authoring proposals that would do the reverse,? Higgins said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Higgins and others are worried that the fees collected at the Canadian border would subsidize the much more costly operations at the Mexican border.

Napolitano, however, indicated that the fee would help make up for the cost the US pays to patrol its borders. The possibility of a border fee is likely to face strong opposition from both Americans and Canadians, both of whom benefit from commercial and personal cross-border traffic. Brian Higgins promises to be “very aggressive” in opposition efforts.