User fee

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A user fee is a fee, tax, or impost payment paid to a facility owner or operator by a facility user as a

necessary condition
for using the facility.

People pay user fees for the use of many

national parks, and to use particular services of the Library of Congress
.

States may charge

postage stamps
.

In international development, user fees refer to a system fee for basic health care, education, or other services implemented by a developing country to make up for the costs of these services.

The

budget deficits. This position is more and more challenged by many people who claim that user fees hurt the poorest the most. Some even argue that they should be free at the point of use.[1][2][3]

The alternative to funding facilities and services with user fees is to fund them with broad-based taxes on income, sales, or property. Unlike user fees, taxes are paid by a much larger percentage of the population, including those who don't necessarily use or benefit from a specific facility or service.

References

  1. ^ Removing User Fees in the Health Sector in Low-Income Countries: A Multi-Country Review Bruno Meessen, David Hercot, Mathieu Noirhomme, Valery Ridde, Abdelmajid Tibouti, Abel Bicaba, Christine Kirunga Tashobya and Lucy Gilson / UNICEF, UNICEF Programme division working paper
  2. ^ Great leap forward on free healthcare Irin news
  3. ^ Gordon Brown: The next global cause: free education for all; The Independent[dead link]