1.   Fees become more important than public duty or public contribution.

2.   User fees have become ever more popular as resistance to tax increases has mounted.

3.   The renewal fees become progressively steeper throughout the life of the patent and most patents do not run the full twenty years.

4.   Executives close to the deal said the break-up fee had become a rather large sticking point in negotiations to quickly complete the deal.

5.   He also said that whatever solution New York and New Jersey choose, it also cannot be so expensive that harbor fees become prohibitive.

6.   In just that short span, naming-rights fees have become an integral component in financing hundreds of millions of dollars in stadium construction around the country.

7.   The fees have become a critical source of revenue for banks, particularly after their lending business fell on tough times in recent years.

8.   Massive legal fees have become commonplace in big tobacco settlements.

9.   Monthly health care fees became a key contribution to the financial power of the unions.

10.   Such fees have become a way for U.S. business executives to skirt restrictions.