Senator Points Out “Devastating” Potential Impact On Alaska Infrastructure, Economy

Senator Lisa Murkowski has written a letter to President Obama, taking issue with the Administration’s recent proposal to impose a $100 fee per flight on general aviation aircraft, as a way to reduce the nation’s growing deficit. “I write to voice my opposition to your Administration’s recent proposal to impose user fees on general aviation aircraft,” Murkowski (pictured) wrote.  “While I agree that our nation’s debt must be reduced, increasing taxes on general aviation aircraft through new user fees could stifle economic recovery.”

“In Alaska, aviation is the foundation of our transportation system,” she continued. “The majority of our communities cannot be reached by rail, auto, or marine modes and the ability to carry people and goods to and from these communities by air is the lifeline of our nation’s biggest state.”

Based on the Alaska DOT Division of Statewide Aviation’s most recent numbers, the aviation industry contributes:

• $3.5 billion to the Alaskan economy (8 percent of the state’s economy)
• 47,000 jobs in Alaska (10 percent of the workforce)

"This issue is of the utmost importance to Alaskans because in Alaska, aviation is the foundation of our transportation system," wrote Murkowski. "The majority of our communities cannot be reached by rail, auto or marine modes and the ability to carry people and goods to and from these communities by air is the lifeline of our nation's biggest state. The effects of new user fees on the Alaskan economy and our way of life would be devastating."

The NBAA commended Senator Murkowski (R-AK) for her recent letter. NBAA has long been unified with the rest of the general aviation community in opposing user fees, and has repeatedly spoken out against the president's per-flight user fee proposal since it was introduced last summer, warning that it would prompt the creation an onerous new administrative burden and necessitate the creation of a costly new fee-collection bureaucracy.

"We thank the senator for her letter to the president opposing user fees," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "User fees are a bad idea for the businesses in Alaska that rely on general aviation, and for thousands of similar businesses all across the U.S. We are committed to working with the senator and others in the Senate and House to defeat the president's ill-conceived user fee proposal."

In September, NBAA joined with 26 leading aviation and labor associations representing virtually the entire U.S. aviation industry in opposing new or increased taxes and fees on aviation. Earlier this month, a bi-partisan group of 23 senators also sent a letter to President Obama opposing general aviation user fees.

FMI: http://murkowski.senate.gov, www.nbaa.org