PORT ANGELES — A new $5.50 tax for travelers arriving in the U.S. by plane and ship from Canada will not affect MV Coho passengers.
Legislation signed by President Barack Obama recently eliminated a tax exemption for air and cruise ship travelers from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Rian Anderson, district manager for Black Ball Ferry Line, which owns the 52-year-old Coho, said ferry travelers are exempt.
“We were pleased to find out that our exemption will continue with this law,” Anderson said.
Anderson noted that a $5.50 fee would have been a significant price increase from the Coho’s current one-way fare of $16.50.
“It would have been quite devastating,” he said.
The Coho makes two trips between Port Angeles and Victoria daily.
Travelers returning to the U.S. by bus, train or car are not affected by the tax.
The fee was added to airline and cruise ship tickets purchased after Nov. 4.
It only applies to U.S. citizens returning home.
The Seattle Times reported last week that that tax will compensate for revenue lost on tariff reductions from a new U.S.-Colombia trade agreement.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the tax will generate $1 billion over the next decade.
For more information on the Coho ferry, visit www.cohoferry.com or phone the Port Angeles office at 360-457-4491 or the Victoria office at 250-386-2202.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
The Seattle Times contributed to this report.