Tue, Feb 14, 2012
Selected $100-Per-Flight Fees In 'Controlled Airspace' Intended
To Generate Revenue
GA organizations are gearing up for yet another user fee battle
after the Obama administration released is federal budget proposal
today that included a $100-per-flight surcharge for aircraft that
use federal air traffic services.
EAA immediately announced its opposition to the proposal and was
joined by other major aviation organizations. EAA is already in
touch with GA Caucus leadership in both houses of Congress
encouraging opposition to the user fee proposal. Congress has
repeatedly dismissed GA user fees in a bipartisan manner and
reiterated its stance as recently as last week, with the passage of
the FAA Reauthorization Bill now awaiting the president’s
signature.
"The administration continues to paint this added tax on general
aviation as an 'equal sharing' of the expense burden but, simply
put, it is not that at all," said Doug Macnair, EAA vice president
of government relations. "It is an additional tax onus on GA
aircraft owners and pilots, who already pay their fair share of the
small percentage of air traffic services they use through fuel
taxes. Even pilots who never use ATC services pay for the system
through the use of aviation gasoline and jet fuel."
The new $100-per-flight proposal would exempt all piston
aircraft, military aircraft, public aircraft, air ambulances,
aircraft operating outside of controlled airspace, and
Canada-to-Canada flights. GA organizations have remained "stronger
together," united behind a no GA user fee stance, as implementation
of such fees could quickly expand to include all GA operations.
The administration's proposal was not unexpected, as a
placeholder for GA user fees was added to prior budget proposals.
An official from the Office of Management and Budget last month had
also indicated administration support for user fees when replying
to an online petition asking to take them "off the table."
"EAA's stance is no different than it has been over the past
decade: User fees are a bad idea and would create many safety
concerns, not to mention a whole new expensive federal
bureaucracy," Macnair said. "The irony is not lost upon us that
this bad proposal is re-introduced by the administration after both
houses of Congress just last week passed a full FAA Reauthorization
Bill that again rejected the user fee concept."
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