No user fees bill (AvWeb)

[smoore]

So this is what we want, right?

I mean, obviously the modernization has to be paid for in some manner... higher fuel taxes better than user fees?

 

[Ken Ibold]

Yes, higher fuel taxes are better than user fees. It's not the level of funding that's the issue, it's who controls how the level is set and what it's spent on. The user fees bill would turn that control from the FAA to an airline-dominated board.

 

[SCCutler]

Bearing in mind that the tax on fuel is completely proportional to how much fuel you use, and is also weighted to tax turbine users (which use the airspace services to a much greater degree) modestly more, and (most importantly) the tax has not gone up in decades, it is a reasonable compromise.

The avgas tax will be a much smaller percentage of the overall cost of fuel than it has traditionally been.

Main thing is, we are not creating a new category of tax or fee, and are not creating a construct which would discourage appropriate use of air traffic control services and thus increase dangerous operations.

 

[mikea]

¨ser fees also will require a whole new revenue collecting bureaucracy that will be considerable and expensive task for the guvmint, which of course, will be solved by outsourcing it to a private company and as long as they're doing that they might as well run ATC for the airlines. And business users and all of us will have to take lotsa time going over the invoices and paying them, and we can expect that none will have errors that can be easily solved, right?

When we pay fuel taxes, we buy fuel. End o story. The taxes on fuel are already handled by the dealers and so on.

 

[gprellwitz]

Unfortunately, I understand that the Administration (Bush) has promised to VETO HR 2881.

 

[ScottM]

Unfortunately, I understand that the Administration (Bush) has promised to VETO HR 2881.

When the votes come in it may become apparent that the bill is veto proof. That is to say is the president does veto it there will be enough votes to overturn his veto. It saddens me that such an apparent bi-partisan bill may be held hostage before the vote is even taken. But c'est la guerre that is politics.

 

[SCCutler]

The President has been profoundly unwilling to use his veto authority throughout his administration, and there is nothing in this bill which would remotely justify special treatment.

I would not expect it; but if it happens, there will be a very vigorous response.