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Refugee 'head tax' may be dropped

A P Kamath

The Canadian federal government plans to remove a $975 landing fee (called "head tax" by its critics) on refugees. The tax has enraged immigration advocates, human rights activists and clergy. Among those who protested against the tax at a recent Town Hall meeting in Ottawa were the representatives for Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka. The tax will continue to be imposed on others seeking permanent residency in Canada, official sources say.

The tax was introduced five years ago to augment resources to help the refugees settle down. Canada had a fiscal deficit then, but now that the deficit isn't there, the demand to revoke the tax has become shriller.

Even several Cabinet ministers, including Fisheries Minister Herb (Harbance) Dhaliwal, have asked for revocation of the tax. Maria Minna, now minister for international co-operation, was one of the half-dozen members of Parliament who signed a petition for its repeal.

The tax will be dropped when the budget is introduced at the end of this month.

Immigration experts say at least 80,000 refugees have paid about $50 million in landing fees or "head tax" to the federal government.

While Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan favours removal of the tax for all immigrants, she wants the federal government to set up a special fund to screen immigrants and speed up the process of deportation for illegal immigrants.

Advocates for the abolition argue that the tax is particularly burdensome to those like Sri Lankan Tamils or Kosovars who are fleeing war-torn zones and are unable to bring with them any money.

The government offers interest-free loans to such immigrants, but critics of the programme say the loan is still a burden.

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