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Is it a fee if you always get it back? It’s more like a deposit.

It's a "deposit" you're giving to a government ruled by an autocrat who is notoriously famous for stiffing people when he can get away with it and whose policy platform is based around harassing foreigners. I would consider the money gone.

I had a similar experience in Europe. The store told me that VAT was refundable, but they didn't mention that the process was so convoluted that few actually did it. I persisted and they sent me a check that could only be cashed in Europe.

Unfortunately many countries pull stunts like this.

Great - so we're in agreement that this is an unfortunate development for our own country, and thus another way we're unnecessarily destroying our position of global leadership.

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