Mon, Sep 19, 2011
Proposes $100 Fee Per Flight For BizPlanes using Controlled
Airspace
News/Analysis By J. R. Campbell, CEO/Editor-In-Chief
Folks with greater insight into the mindset of the bizarre
critters that inhabit our government will have more to say in the
next few hours, but ANN is inspecting portions of the President's
convoluted 'Plan for Economic Growth and Deficit Reduction' and
we've gotten one hell of a shock.
Those aviation-hating folks in OUR government are attacking us
again.
Deep within the 80 page plan, listed under the heading 'More
Equitably Share Payments For Air Traffic Services,' the following
is proposed -- "Roughly two-thirds of the air traffic control
system’s current costs are financed by aviation excise taxes.
Most of the tax revenue is collected from commercial aviation
through ticket taxes, segment fees, international head taxes, and
fuel taxes. General aviation users currently pay a fuel tax, but
this revenue does not cover their fair-share-use of air traffic
services. All flights that use controlled air space require a
similar level of air traffic services. However, commercial and
general aviation can pay very different aviation fees for those
same air traffic services. For example, a large commercial aircraft
would pay between $1,300 to $2,000 in taxes for a flight from Los
Angles to San Francisco while a corporate jet flying the same route
and using the same Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air
traffic services would pay about $60 in taxes.
To reduce the deficit and more equitably share the cost of air
traffic services across the aviation user community, the
Administration proposes to establish a new mandatory surcharge for
air traffic services. This proposal would create a $100 per flight
fee, payable to the FAA, by aviation operators who fly in
controlled airspace. Military aircraft, public aircraft,
recreational piston aircraft, air ambulances, aircraft operating
outside of controlled airspace, and Canada-to-Canada flights would
be exempted. The revenues generated by the surcharge would be
deposited into the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. This fee would
generate an estimated $11 billion over 10 years. Assuming the
enactment of the fee, total charges collected from aviation users
would finance roughly three fourths of airport investments and air
traffic control system costs."
The document also promises changes to the airline fees one pays
for various security programs... which should get the attention of
the airline industry in a very big way.
We'll have much more to follow as this document receives
additional analysis, but if there was EVER any doubt that this
Administration means to target aviation in its quest for yet more
money from those who use aviation to keep their lives and business
moving, then it is now inextricably erased. God help us...
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