TABC to begin collecting tax in Jan 2014 (MERGED THREADS)

I saw another thread yesterday by someone who returned to Galveston recently. They said that the window where you pay the taxes is after the customs area, and apparently it's done on the honor system. They said that nobody was walking over to pay the tax.

I saw another thread yesterday by someone who returned to Galveston recently. They said that the window where you pay the taxes is after the customs area, and apparently it's done on the honor system. They said that nobody was walking over to pay the tax.

Recently in Galveston after completing federal customs and immigrations,

there was a state customs official asking as everyone was proceding whether or not we were declaring anything.

We did not have anything and said no

and proceeded to the exit doors and curb.

Bottom line then: If anyone is returning to Texas at a port of entry, TABC will be asking if you are bringing in untaxed alcohol or cigarettes and assessing Texas State Taxes and a service fee, either in CASH or possibly thru the use of a credit card. I don't recall any officials in IAH returning from Mexico; I must be wandering in a daze during travel. that's for a different board

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Again, Thanks to all for their contributions here for making the Cruise Critic Community an area where "useful information" is available to all, sometimes with comments and opinions added. LOLOLOL

I saw another thread yesterday by someone who returned to Galveston recently. They said that the window where you pay the taxes is after the customs area, and apparently it's done on the honor system. They said that nobody was walking over to pay the tax.

It's a window right before the exit and in February there was someone walking through the crowd pointing it out, explaining that you were supposed to pay taxes. It's obviously not being ran by Carnival or the port, it's more like an afterthought that was forced on them by the TABC.

As a benefit though getting through customs was a whole lot faster since they didn't care about alcohol or cigarettes.

This type of thing bothers me. Most of us are tourists at some time, and the politicians look at passing-through tourists as sheep to be sheared. I am embarrassed at how much San Francisco charges for "hotel tax" to people who stay in hotels. But hey, they're not local voters, so who cares, right?

Pretty soon nobody can go anywhere without being fair game to have your pockets picked legally, with fees and taxes for every little thing you want to do.

Americans just let this craziness happen. Why do we not kick up our heels and refuse to pay baggage fees???? I'm still PO about that and go out of my way to fly airlines that do NOT charge for at least first bag.

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Americans just let this craziness happen. Why do we not kick up our heels and refuse to pay baggage fees???? I'm still PO about that and go out of my way to fly airlines that do NOT charge for at least first bag.

 

 

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Something in us has changed and I have no idea what it is. We're all wimps now. I'm sure those from Texas remember about twenty years ago when they started doing emissions testing on cars. They initially wanted it done at a separate facility from where you would get your safety inspection, meaning more time taken off work to get both done. People here raised such a fuss that they changed the law to allow the inspection and the emissions test to be done at the same place and at the same time.

A couple of years later, I was describing this to a friend from the UK. She said "If that had been us, we'd have just rolled our eyes and did what the government told us to do". We have become like that.