February 20, 2013
The Georgia Business Aviation Association (GBAA) is the latest regional aviation group to ask its congressional delegation to reject the Obama administration’s proposed $100 per flight user fee, recommending instead retaining the current “pay-at-the-pump” fuel-taxation method.
“The proposed per-flight tax would most certainly aggravate an already bad (economic) situation and cause irreparable damage to this vital industry,” wrote David Small, chair of the GBAA, in a Feb. 11 letter to all 14 of Georgia’s U.S. representatives and both senators. “We stand ready to work with you to educate others about the value of business aviation in Georgia and the nation as a whole.
“The president has been demonizing our industry to the point where it’s touching our ability to make a living,” added Small. “Our members finally decided we need to reach out and introduce ourselves to our representatives and let them know how serious this situation is.”
The GBAA letter reminded the Georgia delegation that both the House and Senate have previously passed bills endorsing a per-gallon charge rather than a per-flight user tax.
“Fuel taxes are easy to pay, efficient to collect, simple to understand and directly related to use of the system,” GBAA wrote in the letter. “We are concerned that the proposed per-flight tax not only imposes significant new economic and administrative burdens on general aviation (GA) operators but will also necessitate the creation of a costly new federal collection bureaucracy.”
“This articulate, well-reasoned letter to Georgia’s congressional delegation is yet another example of regional business aviation associations stepping up to the plate in support of the business aviation community’s national policy priorities,” said Harry Houckes, NBAA’s regional representative in the Southeast. “NBAA’s strength comes in large part from its Members, and the GBAA’s recent actions highlight that reality.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.