captaincrash
<font color=darkorchid>!!!Surrender over yer LOOT!
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
- Messages
- 10,508
I have been over to the WB site seeing what their take on the panama tax and found this very good email with response from DCL.
This response is totally unacceptable.Yes the new tax (charge) was designed for the cruise industry to pass on to the passengers. We still have to pay to go through the canal. The passenger has to pay the charge either 1) in the cost of the cruise or 2) as a separate surcharge. That is OK with me, I accept that I have to pay passage through the canal. But what really gets me is DCLs insistence that this is an increase and not a new method of collecting the tax. This is not an increase it is a restructuring of how the fee is calculate per passenger not on The Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) based on net tonnage which it is now. DCL had to figure in to our fares each of our portion of the PC/UMS fee (approximately $70-80/person). They are therefore charging us almost double for PC/UMS that they anticipated paying plus the new method that the PC has decided to assess the charges. DCL is basically saying that we are just going to keep the money that we have charged you already and you get pay the new method.
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Anyway the other site is doing an email campaign and John (Jhalklas) is locating a higher contact person to email to versus the standard email responses that people are getting.

Rodger,
I'd like to tip my hat to you for the effort. I am wondering about this - and thinking it is as I posted - a fee in SUBSTITUTION of the prior per ton structure. I imagine it is an incremental increase in total revenue - not a grand gouging gesture on the part of the PC Authority.
As for how DCL is treating you - It smacks of an underling trying to respond with boilerplate. Or of a department awaiting a decision from someone else to handle this properly. I would think the kids in acounting are at an impase over how to actually give money BACK to us po' folks sailin' to and fro'.
I have faith they WILL refund our money on port charges IF our interpretation is correct. And I plan on calling again monday to speak to someone in authority to ask whom (in authority) I can enquire about this.
It's like if they are already getting say an average of $3,000 per person on te first 2 per cabin ... that's like 1750 x 3000 = $5,250,000 and if there are another 1000 passengers as 3rd or 4th passengers paying $1000 each this makes thier gross revenue on fares = $6,250,000... plus another $500 per cabin for ships' expenses = $7,125,000 in gross revenue.
So why are they trying to pinch us for a grubby $70-80 per person IF that represents the original PC tonnage toll.
I'm definately gonna find who to talk to or enquire with on monday. I'll post what I find out here.