We received the following message from Ed Bolen, President and CEO of National Business Aviation Association (NBAA):

User Fee Alert: Write Your Members of Congress Today

April 10, 2013

Today, the Obama administration released its latest annual budget proposal for fiscal year 2014, which again proposes per-flight user fees for general aviation, and I’m asking for your help in ensuring that Congress fully understands the business aviation community’s unconditional opposition to user fees.

It is unfortunate, but not surprising, that the frequent negative rhetoric about business aviation from the White House has once again translated into an onerous policy position from the administration, but that’s exactly what has happened with the new federal budget proposal.

In its FY2014 budget plan the White House claims a $100 per-flight user fee is needed to help reduce the nation’s deficit – a claim made in previous budget proposals. Clearly, deficit-reduction is a priority, but it is also clear that this unwarranted user fee could significantly harm an essential American industry.

Congress has repeatedly rejected aviation user fees, in part out of recognition that, unlike the proven, efficient, fuel tax paid by general aviation to help fund the nation’s aviation system, user fees would be burdensome to comply with, and would require a large, expensive bureaucracy to administer. In fact, just before the White House budget proposal was released, a bipartisan majority of Congress sent a letter again expressing opposition to user fees, a move welcomed by NBAA.

As the White House budget proposal heads to Congress for consideration, we need you to alert your representatives in Congress today, and reinforce our industry’s position that fuel taxes are a better mechanism than user fees. NBAA has developed a new message for the association’s online Contact Congress resource. This is the advocacy tool our industry has 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.

In addition to using NBAA’s Contact Congress email form, I also urge you to take action through a new Twitter-based tool NBAA has developed, which leverages the power of social media to advocate for the industry. Automatically prepared tweets sent through this system will be seen by not only by Congressional staff, but also by the White House, the media and your own Twitter followers. Tweet your elected officials now.

Please consider taking action on this issue today by using NBAA’s online tools to alert your officials to this serious concern. Thank you for your advocacy on the industry’s behalf, and for your continued support for NBAA.

Sincerely,

Ed Bolen
President and CEO
National Business Aviation Association
“JetOptions is a member of the NBAA and we also oppose user fees” said Vice President Gus Lira .