The CBP Vessel Person Payment (VUF) is a charge charged to industrial vessels coming into U.S. ports. The charge is used to fund the U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP) actions, together with border safety, commerce enforcement, and agricultural inspections. The VUF was first carried out in 2003 and has been reauthorized a number of occasions since then. The present VUF is about to run out in 2025, and Congress is at the moment contemplating whether or not to increase or modify the charge.
The VUF is a vital supply of funding for CBP actions. In 2021, the VUF generated over $1 billion in income. This income is used to fund a wide range of CBP applications, together with:
