New legislation unfairly reaching into GA's pocket

The Senate is geared to pass a four-year reauthorization bill (S1300) covering the Federal Aviation Administration' attempt to overhaul the air traffic control system. The House has already passed a four-year FAA reauthorization bill (HR 2881).

Part of the reauthorization is a proposed replacement of the current system of fuel and ticket taxes with new usage fees, such as per-flight charges based on distance traveled. The FAA says such a shift is necessary to fund air traffic control upgrades for handling the increasing volume of traffic. The Commerce Department drafted bill favors the airline industry by requiring general aviation, particularly high-end business jets, to pay a new $25-per-flight surcharge. The Finance panel’s draft, which general aviation groups generally prefer, would raise some taxes on general aviation without altering the basic fee structure.

We need to jump all over this now. Any imposition of a fee structure like this, even for business jets runs the risk of spreading into the realm of the little guys driving their Cherokees around. Even a five-dollar surcharge adds too much weight to what is already an overloaded system of financial burdens for General Aviation.

Get on the horn and call your legilators - and send them a link to The GA Advocate!