Ohio mayors petition user fees to President Obama
January 4, 2013, 02:10 pm
A group of mayors from 15 committees in Ohio are banning together to raise awareness of the importance of general aviation to local communities and the country as a whole. The mayors sent a letter to President Barack Obama citing their concerns about the proposed $100 user fee for general aviation flights.
"As you know well, the vast majority of businesses and organizations that own and utilize general aviation are not wealthy CEOs," read the conjoined letter from the Ohio mayors. "Rather, 85% are small to mid-sized businesses and organizations that rely on these aircraft to reach far-off plants and customers, serve rural markets without access to commercial aviation, or deliver medical care and other services. We can tell you firsthand that these aircraft are a crucial tool and resource for businesses in our communities; businesses that keep our communities afloat and help workers to be able to continue to put food on their table for their families."
The letter added that general aviation is critical to the U.S. economy, contributing $150 billion in economic output annually and supporting 1.2 million jobs across the country. The mayors said that nearly 20,000 manufacturing workers have been laid off since 2008. That is especially disconcerting when the general aviation sector is one of the only industry's in the U.S. contributing gains to U.S. manufacturing. The mayors put forward that any other attacks on general aviation could be detrimental and the user fee taxes will go against a governmental attempt to stimulate the economy and job growth.
"Also concerning to us is the recent discussion of new “user fee” taxes on general aviation aircraft operators," the letter added. "These taxes would mean not only an additional tax burden, but a huge administrative burden on businesses, farms and organizations that use general aviation and that would have to literally keep track of invoices for fees for thousands of take-offs and landings. In addition, at a time when our government is supposed to be finding ways to reduce government spending, we do not understand why some in Congress seek to create huge, new bureaucracy within the FAA to administer these new taxes."
Ohio Governor John Kasich declared last month that December was General Aviation Appreciation month for the state. He said December was a time to honor general aviation's impact on Ohio, contributing $5.5 billion to the state annually and providing critical roles in supporting law enforcement, medical providers, fire fighting, local businesses and residents.
Pilots in the general aviation community are reminded to ensure their personal finances are in order with pilot life insurance, whether the president responds to the mayor's letter or not.
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