Brussels, 19/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - The United States stands ready this summer to bring in a $10 tax for tourists travelling to the US on the Visa Waiver program (VWP), the Times Online reports. The tax is likely to be introduced in the next four months, the daily says, with the new law which was passed in March due to be implemented within six months. At the start of March US President Barack Obama signed the Travel promotion Act, which provides for a $10 tax for entering the United States to fund campaigns promoting tourism in the country. A further tax (of around $5 dollars) could be added to the $10 to meet the administrative costs of the programme. The European Commission says that any idea of creating a tax is “counter-productive” (see EUROPE 10092). In fact, this tax will be paid by visitors belonging to countries in the VWP - which currently has some 50 countries, including 23 from the EU. The tax will be collected through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). In another development, the United States may, in future, require Passenger Name Record (PNR) data for visitors arriving by ship, in the same way as PNR data are required for those arriving by air. The magazine Security Management says a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that the US authorities should study the cost and security benefits of requiring the cruise ship industry to provide automated PNR data for the purposes of tackling terrorism. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has indicated that a feasibility study would be carried out on such a programme. (B.C./transl.rt)