NBAA officials are warning the GA community that it has cause for alarm as Congress and the White House negotiate over the nation’s deficit and debt ceiling.
In a missive to members, Ed Bolen, NBAA president and CEO, warns: “As the debate continues, some policymakers insist that any debt-ceiling deal must include new revenues, while others remain opposed to tax increases. What appears to be evident from this standstill is a growing emphasis around fees. We are very concerned that as a result of this situation, aviation user fees could re-emerge, despite the fact that our community has made a compelling case against them to Congress, and after thorough examination, both chambers of Congress have elected not to propose new aviation user fees, instead opting to build on the proven, efficient general aviation fuel tax for aviation system funding and modernization.”
“In order to reinforce our point that fuel taxes are a better mechanism than user fees, we need you to alert your representatives in Congress today,” he continued. “NBAA has developed a new message for the association’s online Contact Congressresource. This is the advocacy tool people and companies in our industry have effectively used to oppose user fees in the past; by using this resource now, you can help us remind Congress of our continued opposition to user fees.”
