Industry Associations Band Together To Present United Front
Against $100 Per Flight ATC Tax
President Obama just won't let go of the idea of user fees for
GA, despite a large body of evidence that they would likely have an
enormous negative impact on an industry still struggling in a shaky
economy.
Saying private business aircraft "don't pay their fair share"
for use of the nation's air traffic control system, the
administration has floated a $100 per flight user fee for corporate
jets and turboprops in a document called "Living Within Our Means
And Investing In Our Future" released by the Office of Management
and Budget Monday. OMB estimates the fee will generate $11 billion
over 10 years. In the proposal, the President says he is
"eliminating benefits for those who use corporate jets."
Reaction from the nation's leading general aviation (GA)
associations was quick, and without exception they forcefully
opposed user fees for GA flights proposed in President Barack
Obama's proposal for addressing the nation's deficit and job
crises.
The Aircraft Electronics Association, the Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the
General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the Helicopter
Association International, the International Council of Air Shows,
the National Association of State Aviation Officials, the National
Air Transportation Association and the National Business Aviation
Association jointly issued the following statement:
"As primary representatives of the general aviation community,
we are expressing our unified opposition to the new $100 per flight
tax in your proposal. We believe this per-flight tax not only
imposes a significant new administrative burden on general aviation
operators who currently pay through an efficient per-gallon fuel
charge at the pump, but it will also necessitate the creation of a
costly new federal collection bureaucracy.
"As you know, the issue of how general aviation can best
contribute revenue to the federal government has been the subject
of significant study and debate as part of the FAA reauthorization
process. After careful consideration, both chambers of Congress
have passed bills that endorse the per-gallon fuel charges rather
than adopt a per-flight tax similar to the one you propose. In
fact, Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives
felt so strongly about this issue that 116 members of that body
sent you a letter earlier this year saying new aviation charges
like the one you are now proposing would be ‘dead on
arrival.’
"Mr. President, many foreign countries have imposed per-flight
charges on general aviation and the results have been devastating.
Please do not go down that dangerous path and cost jobs in our
community.
"Per-gallon fuel charges work. Per-flight taxes destroy."