A Fee Here, A Fee There

President Clinton’s federal budget for 1995 proposes no big tax hikes other than a 75-cent cigarette tax increase to help finance health care reform. But tucked within its pages are several dozen new or increased “user fees and other collections” that would raise a combined total of $1.5 billion next year. Here are a few of the new revenue-raisers that Clinton is asking Congress to approve, and the amount of money they would generate in 1995:

Fees in millions of dollars

* Securities & Exchange Commission fees on stock and bond sales, tender offers, registration statements and investment advisers: $378

* Food and Drug Administration fees, including new levies authorized by the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and Mammography Quality Standards Act: $338

* U.S. Department of Agriculture fees for overtime inspections of meat and poultry plants: $103

* Increased maritime shipping tonnage fees to offset cost of Coast Guard services: $100

* Customs Service merchandise processing fees: $94

* Internal Revenue Service fee for notifying banks of refunds to taxpayers who file electronic returns: $87

* Commerce Department fee on users of fisheries management programs: $82

* Farm Service Agency fee on agricultural producers to offset cost of “free” catastrophic crop insurance: $40

* New 15% surcharge on judgments for debt collected by the Justice Department: $39

* National Park Service fees for park entrance and recreational facilities: $27

* New $15-per-hour fee for assistance provided at Small Business Administration Development Centers: $26

* Increased license fee paid by firearms dealers to the U.S. Treasury Department: $25

* IRS fee hike for making photocopies of tax returns, (from $4.25 to about $12 per document): $5

* Other fee increases: $174

TOTAL: $1,518

Source: Office of Management and Budget