User Fees
This morning is the last day of NBAA. It has been an exciting show. There are tens of thousands of attendees walking the aisles of the Atlanta convention center, seeing all the latest business aviation products and services.
As expected, the hot topic at the show has been user fees. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the FAA reauthorization bill last week without user fee provisions. Instead, it uses an increase in fuel taxes to provide increased revenue for the FAA to upgrade the nations air traffic control system. The Senate is expected to pass its version soon, which will probably incorporate a user fee provision. The bills will then go to conference between the House and Senate to iron out differences and present the modified bill to both the House and Senate. Then it is off to the President for approval.
The Air Transport Association (ATA) is not happy about the House version. It is lobbying strongly to have a user fee-based funding system, saying it is time for private jets to pay their fair shair of the nations air traffic control system. NBAA and other general aviation associations say airlines are the cause for the congestion at the nation’s airports, not general aviation. Those associations continue the lobbying effort against user fees, pushing for a modest increase in fuel taxes as a more equitable way to increase funding.
So, what are your thoughts on user fees? How do you feel user fees would affect the industry, and specifically general aviation maintenance jobs?
Thanks for reading,
Joe Escobar
et me gets this straight. It is CONGRESS who made the FAA cut back and it is Marion Blakey who obliged to do so. Now they are threatening the airlines to rearrange their schedules or “the government might enforce flight limits.”
It didn’t mean anything to congress when the air traffic controllers told them 5 years ago, they were going to run into a problem of shortage of controllers, and that it would bring on massive delays. Congress doesn’t even care if a controller gets mistreated.
But the first time they are on a plane and have to be delayed they want to magically snap their fingers and have the problem solved.
I have a message for congress first say thank you to Congressman John Mica he was great, all those years in getting things cut back, privatized, consolidated, and making these delays possible and endangering lives. Say thank you to Marion Blakey for the support she gave on mistreating professionals and causing delays.
Congress I have another message. You and Marion created this mess but the air traffic controllers are professionals and will not take any chances. They still believe in their motto “SAFETY FIRST”
It looks like user fees are becoming the preferred method of funding, everywhere. I have noticed that all new freeways have toll booths. The more they can squeeze from the actual users (poor people) the less taxes wealthy legislators and their buddys have to pay.
What would happen if all of the truck and bus companies got the automobiles off of the highways? The cost to them would skyrocket accross the board; they would not be able to maintain the national highway system.
If every highway was suddenly turned into a toll highway (user fees) would the taxes on the fuel be eliminated or diminished? Not at all because the cost of operating such a system would be exponential and gains would not be realized. Much of this is based on supply and demand. As you know, if you play with that equation, there would no longer be any efficiency. The net result is that the economy would go south (no pun intended.)
Change the terms trucks, busses, and automobiles to airplanes and you have your answer.