Charges to be Introduced for ESTA

I’m somewhat surprised to see reports today claiming that we are soon going to have to pay for the ESTA applications on line.

This has come about because of a key law that has been passed in the US as part of the Travel Promotion Act, which is designed to promote travel to America. Er, and how does charging for the ESTA encourage us to travel to there?
Apparently, money raised by charging for the Visa will help to fund a new organisation promoting travel to the US.
Roger Dow, president and chief executive officer of the US Travel Association, said: “This is a historic victory for the US economy and the one in eight American workers whose jobs depend on travel”.
Reports suggest that charges may increase from $10 to between $15 and $17 dollars once credit charges and administration costs are added.
I suppose it was too good to be true really! I suggest that anybody planning to travel to the US within the next two years gets in quick and does the application while it’s still free!