As members of Congress are fond of saying when an onerous bill hits their desks, President Obama’s renewed call for a $100 user fee for turbine aircraft flights in “controlled” airspace probably will be “dead on arrival” on Capitol Hill. The per-flight user fee is included in the White House’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget of $3.8 trillion that was released on Thursday.
“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,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “But White House proposals cannot become law unless they are approved by Congress.” Over the past several years, Bolen recalled, the general aviation community has worked with Congress to successfully beat back a number of “bad ideas” proposed by the White House.
For once, the airlines are standing with GA in opposing the levy. Airlines for America, which represents the air carriers, accused the Obama Administration of offsetting the budget deficit on the backs of airline customers. In addition to the $100-per-flight fee, it would triple the airline security tax to $7.50 for each one-way trip over the next five years.
Comments
Yeah Right (not verified)
February 15, 2012 - 7:40am
"Aviation industry rejects user fees"; high irony from the same industry that expects NextGen infrastructure, equippage and the new ATC capacity and delay reduction (i.e. OPERATIONAL SAVINGS) that supposedly creates -- for free.
Pilotman (not verified)
February 15, 2012 - 12:59pm
Thanks to the alphabet groups, AOPA,NBAA,and others, along with their members who fight the battle against ever-higher taxes. We don't have an income problem-We have a spending problem. That's true in most areas of Government, not just aviation. Obama flies around the world in AF1 spending $200 million per year of tax-payer dollars, and bad mouths the "fat cats in their corporate jets". Aviation is one of the few industries in the the world where the US still excels. Let's keep it that way.
Peter (not verified)
February 15, 2012 - 1:43pm
It’s official, for US aerospace, Obama is the worst president in history. The aerospace development programs and production lines already shut down by Obama include; VH-71, C-17, F-22, JAGM, Constellation, ESA Mars Mission cooperation, Space Shuttle program, V-22 is being cut short, C-5 Galaxies are being retired early, A-10s are being retired early, Hawker-Beech disqualified from the AT-6 competition, blocked the sale of F-16s to Taiwan, while general anti-business aviation rhetoric has damaged Cessna, Hawker-Beech, Gulfstream and others amounting to tens of thousands of layoffs. Collectively, this man is probably responsible for putting at least 200,000 people out of work in our industry. Now he’s taking aim squarely at the airlines which will have implications for years to come, while the US government protests new ‘carbon tax’ being implemented in Europe, they issue their own tax and increased security tax right here at home(Do as I say, not as I do), and are attempting to put the nail in the coffin of general aviation by ending bonus depreciation (which helps sell airplanes) and implementing user fees on top of the existing fuel taxes. Yes the government needs to save money and earn more revenue, but when that is done at the expense of high-technology jobs, science, progress, and national security that is not a good thing. So I ask, WHY DOES OBAMA HATE AEROSPACE?
Peter (not verified)
February 15, 2012 - 1:46pm
Remember to sign Mike Pompeos petition, 'America Flies' if you support the industry. I did - I know my livelihood depends on it.