Association Looks To Members, Congress To Help Stop The
Threat
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today
denounced the latest attempt from the White House to impose a
per-flight user fee on general aviation, and said industry would
need to engage Congress to stop the renewed threat. Per-flight user
fees are included in President Obama's fiscal year 2013 federal
spending proposal, released today, which sets budgets for
government agencies.
Specifically, page 30 of the president's budget overview states:
"...the Administration proposes to create a $100 per flight fee,
payable to the Federal Aviation Administration, by aviation
operators who fly in controlled airspace."
Although the general aviation community has been unified in
opposing user fees for decades, the president has continually
supported the fees, calling for them first in 2009 as part of his
annual budget outline. Last year, he renewed his call for user fees
as part of his proposal for addressing the nation's deficit. More
recently, the White House wrote to individuals who had signed a
petition asking the president to reconsider his support for user
fees. The White House message, titled "Why We Need User Fees,"
explicitly mentioned business aircraft in making its case for the
new fees.
Bolen noted that in none of these developments did the White
House highlight the fact that the general aviation community pays
for its use of the aviation system through the proven, efficient
fuel tax. "Ideally, the president would work with general aviation
to acknowledge not only this contribution, but also the industry's
value in generating jobs, helping companies compete and succeed,
and providing a lifeline to communities across the country," Bolen
said. "Instead, he's repeatedly proposed anti-general aviation
initiatives like this one."
Along with the concern raised by the president's user fee
proposal, Bolen said the White House budget sends a mixed message
on two other key issues: funding for a Next Generation ("NextGen")
air traffic system, and depreciation schedules on business
aircraft.
The budget would increase NextGen investment by $99 million over
the previous fiscal year; however, the document calls for cuts to
airport improvement grants by $926 million. "While we commend the
president's acknowledgement of the need to expedite modernization
with an increased NextGen investment, we also know that a continued
investment in airport upgrades is an investment in the future of
the nation's air traffic system," Bolen said. "Airports are
fundamental to NextGen, and you can't promote one without
supporting the other."
A similar mixed signal involves the budget's reference to
depreciation schedules. In its budget overview, the White House
declares that "continuing to allow businesses to write-off the full
amount of new investments" will help "jumpstart job creation"
– but the same budget goes on to call for extending the
depreciation on the purchase of business aircraft from the
traditional five-year timeframe to seven years. "Clearly the
president believes shrinking depreciation schedules creates jobs,
and we agree with him on that," Bolen said. "Instead of proposing a
lengthening of the depreciation schedule, we should focus on
shrinking them now and in the future."
President Obama
Bolen added that, as with previous punitive proposals from the
White House, those in the Administration's budget should be taken
seriously – but that as in the past, the key to stopping
proposals the industry opposes is for people to mobilize and call
upon Congress to take action.
"Proposals from the White House are serious business –
particularly if, like the user fee plan and the proposal to change
aircraft depreciation in the president’s annual budget
– they are designed to raise revenue," Bolen said. "But White
House proposals cannot become law unless they are approved by
Congress. Over the past several years, the general aviation
community has worked with Congress to successfully beat back a
number of bad ideas proposed by the White House – we can do
it again by getting everyone active and engaged with their elected
officials."
For example, Bolen said, NBAA Members can make their voices
heard with their representatives in Congress through NBAA's online
Contact Congress resource, which has a letter that can be sent to
lawmakers opposing user fees. "NBAA will continue to advocate for
the industry's priorities as Congress considers the president's
latest budget proposal, and our efforts will be most effective if
the people in business aviation echo our message with their elected
representatives," Bolen said. "I encourage everyone in general
aviation to contact their elected officials today."