A User Fee, To Support Losses From Other User Fees
If you've ever asked
someone what's good about aviation user fees, there's a pretty good
chance you'll hear something about NAV CANADA -- the commercial air
traffic control entity that charges pilots directly for its
services. But AOPA says... look a little closer.
Since its inception, NAV CANADA has been on the financial edge.
Its rainy-day fund is now $116 million in the red, and managers now
wants to impose new user fees on general aviation to make up the
shortfall.
Under the new proposal, aircraft weighing less than 6,075 pounds
would be charged a daily fee for the use of eight Canadian
airports. The fee would start out at $5 Canadian per day, and would
go up to $10 by 2008.
NAV CANADA says commercial operators like the idea, because it
would be a deterrent to GA pilots who use those eight major
airports. Instead, they'd be encouraged to use reliever
airports.
"Many commercial operators believe that the charges should be
substantially increased" for small GA aircraft, notes the NAV
CANADA proposal obtained by AOPA. "An additional charge would also
serve as an incentive for small aircraft to use reliever
airports... [which] would have an efficiency benefit for air
carrier traffic using the major international airports."
Of course, you have to keep in mind that four seats on the NAV
CANADA board belong to commercial operators. One seat is reserved
for general and business aviation interests -- making the board not
exactly the fairest of courts for GA.
"This proposal underscores why AOPA opposes a user fee-based
system in the United States," said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice
president of government affairs. "It illustrates why a user fee
system does not provide stable funding and reinforces AOPA's stance
that Congress (or Parliament in the case of Canada) is the
appropriate 'board of directors' for a national air transportation
system."
Cebula says the best idea for the US is to continue relying on
the fuel tax for FAA revenue, and to stop fooling around with the
idea of charging directly for services rendered.
"A user fee system can
generate sufficient funds during the good times, but it falls apart
during an economic downturn, which is exactly what happened to NAV
CANADA after 9/11," said Cebula. "The US national air
transportation system is well served by the stable funding stream
provided by the existing combination of taxes and general fund
contributions."
"We find no reason to support a different funding system in a
foreign country, and we encourage NAV CANADA to reconsider the
proposal and not implement the proposed new fees," added Cebula,
speaking on behalf of US pilots who fly north of the border.