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As the cash-strapped U.S. government
searches under the sofa cushions for extra cash, general aviation
user fees are back on the radar. All the major aviation groups have
signed a letter
(PDF) to House Speaker John Boehner opposing the user fee idea
as inefficient and potentially damaging to GA. The idea was floated
at meetings concerning the debt ceiling debate and the alphabets say
the concept has been thoroughly debated in the past and rejected and
it hasn't gotten any better with age. "User fees have absolutely
devastated general aviation in other parts of the world, and in the
United States, they would only serve to create a new federal
collection bureaucracy of billing agents, auditors and collection
officials to harass small businesses and others," the letter reads.
Details of the proposed fees were
sketchy but Helicopter Association International (HAI)
says a $25 charge of some sort is involved. The groups all
support the funding of aviation-related government services through
the current system of fuel taxes, which they say provides a reliable
and appropriate stream of funds to the government that is
efficiently collected at the pumps
_______________________________
The GA community is still down, our
planes are not flying as much as they used to, fuel prices are high,
a GA workforce that is the envy of the world is not back on its
feet; and now, right in the middle of the debt ceiling negotiations
to avert that crisis, the Obama Administration has put a new
tax/user fee proposal on the table.
There are not many details. Some say it would be $100 for every
aircraft operation. Some say less. Some say only jets. The problem
with this concept is that in EVERY COUNTRY that has embraced user
fees, a big new bureaucracy forms to collect the money from a few
and pretty soon it's expanded to the many.
This idea must be stopped. But, here's another rub.
We have built literally hundreds of supporters in Congress who
follow aviation issues and serve on key committees. But, the
negotiators on the debt ceiling are a new group. And, a new crop of
Congressmen are ruling out any kind of taxes....even the surcharge
on aviation fuel that we agreed to almost four years ago.
So, we have a lot of ground to cover in a short period of time. But,
we have many Members of Congress that are also very concerned about
the 2012 election year....and, that means the number of requests for
support are being added at a rapid rate. Normally, I'd wait until
the election year to make this request. But frankly, next year will
be too late.
If you will take just a moment, we need your
AOPA PAC contribution
for this election cycle today. It is the only way to hold off what
will amount to millions and millions of dollars of fees in the years
ahead.
Watch for updates as this debate continues. We will most likely need
you to contact your Congressman and ask that this very dangerous
user fee proposal be rejected.
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