The Growth of Federal User Charges
Abstract
User charges have for some time, and especially in recent years, played an important role in financing federal programs. In 1991, user charges-- such as passport fees, national park entrance fees, and gasoline excise taxes-- amounted to nearly $120 billion and were the sole source of financing for some programs. User charges are not new. Since the founding of the republic, federal lawmakers have sought to make some programs partly or entirely self-supporting. But a large and persistent federal deficit has created new incentives to expand the scope of user charges and to substitute them for broad-band taxes as a source of program funds. This trend has been particularly marked since the passage of the Balanced Budget Act of 1985.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA277824
Entities
People
- Robert D. Reischauer
Organizations
- Congressional Budget Office