Points Out GA's Role In Creating And Sustaining Jobs, Providing Emergency Services

South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard has written a letter to President Obama asking the Administration to recognize the critical role that general aviation plays in the economy and in communities throughout South Dakota. Specifically, Governor Daugaard stressed the need to protect the general aviation sector from cumbersome taxes that would hurt the industry and the economy.

"For South Dakota, general aviation aircraft and the airports they utilize represent a critical link to emergency services, economic opportunity, and global markets," the Governor Daugaard (pictured) wrote. "Moreover, whether it pertains to crop protection, disaster response, law enforcement activities, or crucially needed services such as blood, organ, or patient transportation, the general aviation community is literally saving lives every day.

"New tax burdens on a critical sector of our economy will do more harm than good and put many jobs at risk," he said.
 
Governor Daugaard joins a growing list of state and local officials that have emphasized the need to protect general aviation. Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire, Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, and Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter of Idaho have sent similar letters to President Obama expressing the need to protect the general aviation industry. In February, over 100 mayors from 48 states sent a letter to President Obama calling on the President to highlight the importance of general aviation across the country, and to date, 40 states have passed proclamations recognizing the importance of aviation and general aviation in particular. 

The letter was released by the Alliance for Aviation Across America.

FMI: http://sd.gov/governor/