CORPS' `USER FEE' IS A TAX BY ANY OTHER NAME

- $3 per carload or $1 per person;

- $25 yearly pass per person or $12.50 for senior citizens;

- $2 to use boat ramp.

The Tax Man has his hand out once again and just in time to hit up boaters, campers, and swimmers who want to enjoy Missouri's great outdoors this summer. Thanks to President Clinton's 1993 Tax Plan, which I voted against, a new "user fee" is being imposed at many recreational facilities operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This idea is plain nonsense.

I have introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to repeal this new onerous "tax" on people who utilize our public lands. I emphasize public because these lands and facilities already have been paid for and are supported by our federal tax dollars and should be "free" to use. We don't need to charge people twice for the same service!

The fee structure, as modest as it may be, sets a dire precedent. We cannot balance the budget or reduce the deficit on the backs of one segment of our population. As I have long contended, it is not that we're taxed too little; it's that the federal government spends too much.

Some argue that this "user fee" is necessary to maintain the upkeep of these parks and lakes. The fact of the matter remains the same -- we've already paid for it once and still do. People who want to enjoy the great outdoors this summer and summers to come at recreational facilities operated by the Army Corps should be allowed to do so unencumbered by this tax. And in a state where tourism is so important to the economy, the federal government should not be an obstacle.

Quite simply, all the "user fee" does is open up money in other parts of the federal budget for new spending. With this ridiculous notion, budget bureaucrats have gone fishing down the wrong hole.

Bill Emerson represents the Missouri eighth district in the United States House of Representatives.