User Fees Not Included In President's FY2011 Budget

The Obama administration released the details of the President's federal budget priorities for Fiscal Year 2011 (FY 11) absent any type of "user fee" proposal for the general aviation community. 

"The general aviation community has worked diligently over the last several years with its supporters on Capitol Hill to ensure that any type of user fee proposal contained in the federal budget is essentially dead on arrival," said National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President James K. Coyne. "While general aviation user fees have been offered in previous budgets, Congress continues to oppose these unjustified and unnecessary budget proposals."  

NATA and its general aviation community partners have advocated that the current system of aviation excise taxes has proven to be a stable and efficient source of funding for our aviation system. "Imposing a user fee on aviation would place an undue administrative burden on system users such as small business and general aviation users, without adequately supplementing the Airport and Airways Trust Fund," Coyne said.

"We thank Congress for their continued support in opposition to any type of new user fee proposal and welcome the Obama administration's FY 11 budget as recognition that there are better avenues to raise aviation funding than placing an onerous new tax on the general aviation community," Coyne said. "While NATA is pleased with the Obama administration's choice to omit a user fee proposal in the FY 11 budget, the industry must remain vigilant to ensure that any future user fee proposals are unsuccessful."

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