diablopilot 2 #1 March 1, 2009 http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2009/090226userfees.html?WT.mc_id=090227epilot&WT.mc_sect=tts QuoteUser fees in Obama's budget proposal By Warren D. Morningstar President Barack Obama’s proposed budget is calling for aviation user charges starting in 2011. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the proposal Feb. 26, and although there is not much detail, the document makes it clear that the administration wants to replace some of the aviation excise taxes with “direct user charges.” “It is often said the devil is in the details, but even with only a few details, we are concerned,” said AOPA President Craig Fuller. “We have been working constructively with the Obama administration and Congress about moving forward with air traffic control modernization and airport development. However, the warning light went on with the budget briefing documents and the plan for imposing billions in user fees on the aviation community.” The budget “proposes repealing some aviation excise taxes and replacing these taxes with direct user charges.” (See page 129 of the budget proposal.) “Direct user charges are just another name for user fees,” noted Fuller. User charges would total some $7 billion in 2011, or about half of the FAA’s total budget. “We don’t know what kind of user charges the Obama administration would propose to implement, but the previous administration wanted to raise about $7 billion through air traffic control system user fees,” Fuller said. The Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), who has been a staunch opponent of user fees, released a statement saying, “I note that the budget appears to propose some type of aviation user fee. Aviation user fees have been proposed several times in the past by OMBs of various administrations, and have not been adopted by Congress.” Earlier this month Fuller testified in support of Chairman Oberstar’s bill, H.R.915, to finance the FAA through the current system of aviation excise taxes. “We have already contacted White House officials to express our concern and to reiterate the negative effects that user fees would have on the general aviation industry. We look forward to an open dialogue with the president on the best way to finance the modernization of our air traffic control system and the FAA’s continued operations.” February 26, 2009 If I can offer a suggestion to all skydivers, please oppose this if you don't want to pay ALOT more for your jumps. None of this money will go to improving or protecting access to General Aviation (what we do) and there are taxes already in place to fund the access we have. Oh and think about joining the AOPA. Together with the USPA they do more than you can ever know to keep GA (us) in the air. www.aopa.org---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayneflorida 0 #2 March 1, 2009 I agree that this must be fought hard. Between this taxing idea and TSA's new security directives the government is trying to kill general aviation. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futuredivot 0 #3 March 1, 2009 "Skylane 72 Whiskey. Climb and maintain 5500-Squawk your Visa number" You are only as strong as the prey you devour Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybill 22 #4 March 1, 2009 Hi divot, Never mind your AAD, transponders for skydivers is probably next!! Beepbeepbeepbeep!!!SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryzflies 0 #5 March 1, 2009 Bad news, but at least user fees instead of excise taxes are better than the previous proposal which was user fees PLUS increased excise taxes.If you can't fix it with a hammer, the problem's electrical. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futuredivot 0 #6 March 2, 2009 Getting stabbed is better than getting stabbed and shot. Don't make it good.You are only as strong as the prey you devour Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #7 March 2, 2009 User fees will be one of the nails in the coffin that skydiving rests in. User fees are the airline's cop out that GA isn't pull it's weight, when it's the airlines that have been getting bailed out left and right and don't want to pay for the infastructure they benefit from. User fees will cause EACH FLIGHT to be hit with a fee. that means a cross country flight OR a 12 minute climb to altitude. Say that fee is $40 a flight, in a full Twin Otter that's going to add almost $2 to each ticket, but it's more likely that DZ's will have to charge twice that since all flights are not full, and not all DZ's operate aircraft with that kind of capacity. Fancy $10 more a head for the ol' 182 jump? Tandem factories may be able to afford the increase, but sport skydiving will suffer AGAIN. The current method of tax revenue is largely fuel taxes which is far more fair since it's based on consumption = actual use. Again, I suggest skydivers get motivated on nipping this in the bud. 1) Write your reresentitives. 2) Join AOPA. 3) Talk to local pilots on your airports.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bfilarsky 0 #8 March 2, 2009 Quote Bad news, but at least user fees instead of excise taxes are better than the previous proposal which was user fees PLUS increased excise taxes. User fees are a BAD idea altogether! They are a very inefficient way of collecting revenue in the first place. Second, the purpose of them is to tax more. Third, it is just the fucking airlines trying to get other people to foot their bills. While the first round of user fees (if implemented) likely won't be THAT bad, its a slippery slope. They will get jacked up more and more, making GA (once again, US) more and more unaffordable. The airlines have been pushing this for a long time now - we cannot let them win (unless you're alright with subsidizing airline ticket prices with your jump tickets). FUCK USER FEES!!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
namgrunt 0 #9 March 2, 2009 CHANGE YOU CAN COUNT ON hows that working for you????59 YEARS,OVERWEIGHT,BALDIND,X-GRUNT LAST MIL. JUMP VIET-NAM(QUAN-TRI) www.dzmemories.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #10 March 2, 2009 Quote CHANGE YOU CAN COUNT ON hows that working for you???? Come on now, didn't we all vote for this? We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #11 March 2, 2009 I didn't. (Before anyone get's their panties in a knot, I didn't vote for the "other guy" either.) ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #12 March 2, 2009 Quote I didn't. I was being sarcastic... We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 426 #13 March 2, 2009 Quote I didn't. (Before anyone get's their panties in a know, I didn't vote for the "other guy" either.) Bet now you and a whole bunch of other Americans wish you had!Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
