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What is The Alliance for
Aviation Across America?
AAAA is a diverse
coalition of aviation enthusiasts and
professionals, local airports, civic organizations
representing rural and agriculture voices, city,
county and state officials, economic development
entities, non-profit organizations, small and
mid-size businesses and others dedicated to
protecting small and rural communities.
AAAA is also dedicated to properly modernizing the
nation's air traffic control system to enhance
safety, promote efficiency and expand capacity in
order to ensure ALL Americans have access to air
transportation.
http://www.aviationacrossamerica.org/
AAAA Surpasses 3,000
Members Nationwid
Washington, DC -
The Alliance for Aviation Across America (AAAA)
today announced that over 3,000 businesses,
charitable organizations, aviation professionals,
rural and agricultural organizations, and
individuals in all 50 states have joined the
Alliance for Aviation Across America to fight
against the "user fees" tax contained in proposals
for reauthorization of the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA). These members include
the Montana Pilots' Association, the Intertribal
Agriculture Council, the Independent Beef
Association of North Dakota, the Arkansas
Agricultural Aviation Association, the Arkansas
Airport Operators Association, Flights For Life,
Inc., the American Agriculture Movement, the
Federation of Southern Cooperatives, the
Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska, the National
Association of Farmer Elected Committee Members,
Women in Aviation, Kid's Wings, Northwoods
Airlifeline and Angel Flight of Georgia.
"This huge
outpouring of grassroots support will continue to
send a strong message to lawmakers that small
businesses and communities around the country are
united against this corporate welfare package for
the big airlines and user fees tax," said Selena
Shilad, Executive Director for the Alliance for
Aviation Across America.
S.1300, which was
recently introduced in the Senate, would overhaul
the current funding system for FAA in favor of a
new "user fee" tax on small businesses and towns
across the country that rely on small planes.
In addition, the Senate Commerce Committee
recommended elimination of the $.043 per gallon
fuel tax the big airlines currently pay, while
general aviation would be faced with a doubling of
the fuel tax &endash; from $.21/gallon to
$.49/gallon. As a result, the commercial
airlines would net out with a $500 million per year
tax giveaway, which would be directly shouldered by
small planes.
In response to the
huge outpouring of opposition to this tax from
businesses and communities around the country,
Senators Nelson and Sununu recently introduced an
amendment to strip out a user fees tax during the
Senate Commerce Committee's consideration of S.
1300. This amendment was narrowly defeated in
the Senate Commerce Committee by one vote &endash;
12-11. In the coming weeks, the Senate Committee on
Finance will consider its own bill on FAA
funding.
"America's
cattlemen rely heavily upon small airports and
small planes of all types for their livelihood,"
said Independent Beef Association of North Dakota
(I-BAND) President, Pat Becker. "The user fee and
tax increase proposal being considered by the
Senate represent a direct threat to our families,
our businesses, and our farms. We are urging
the Congress to stand tall and reject user fees and
unfair tax increases on general aviation in any
form."
The "user fees" tax
currently contained in S.1300 relies on the
misguided notion that a jumbo jetliner carrying
over 300 passengers should be taxed at the same
amount as a small aircraft carrying five people.
This is even though the FAA itself has admitted
that the commercial airlines drive the vast
majority of the air traffic costs through the
hub-and-spoke system they designed. In
addition, this tax would require an entirely
new federal collection bureaucracy within the
Federal Aviation Administration just to administer
this tax. Even those that would be exempted
from this "user fees" tax fear the bureaucracy,
hidden costs and uncertainty that such a system
would create.
"This proposal is a
lose-lose: small planes would face a huge new tax
burden, as well as increased red tape and
bureaucracy. These massive tax increases are
not only a serious threat to the future of general
aviation in this country, but to the businesses and
commerce generated by non commercial aviation that
is the lifeblood of the economy of smaller cities
such as ours," said City of New Braunfels, Texas
Airport Director Andy Spinks.
While the FAA and
the airlines claim that this proposal is necessary
for modernization, the Government Accountability
Office (GAO), the Congressional Budget Office
(CBO), and the Inspector General of the Department
of Transportation have all testified before
Congress that the current funding structure is
adequate to cover the costs of modernization.
The Alliance has pushed strongly for modernization
of our air traffic control system through a
progressive and fair system that does not target
small towns and businesses and works within our
current, efficient system of excise taxes.
Such a system would create incentives for fuel
efficiency and environmental sensibility, follow
international norms, and protect small towns while
avoiding the creation of a new tax collection
bureaucracy inside the FAA.
Members of the
Alliance for Aviation Across America also include:
the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, whose
membership is comprised of 412,000 members
nationwide, the National Business Aviation
Association, whose membership includes 8,000
members, the National Farmers Union, the League of
Rural Voters, the National Association of State
Aviation Officials, the National Grange, the Small
Business and Entrepreneurship Council , the
American Corn Growers Association, the Independent
Cattlemen of Texas, the Texas Farm Bureau, Air Care
Alliance, the National Agricultural Aviation
Association, Helicopter Association International,
and over 1200 small and medium-size businesses,
charitable organizations, and groups and
associations from across the nation.
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