FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 3, 2015
Contact:
Devin Osting (202)-223-9523
Alliance Response to the Release of the President’s FY 2016 Budget
Washington, DC – The Alliance for Aviation Across America today issued the following statement in response to the release of President Obama’s FY 2016 spending proposal today, which did not include a per-flight user fee. The President’s budget did include a harmful measure to lengthen the depreciation schedule for general aviation aircraft from five to seven years, and a cut to the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) from $3.35 billion to $2.9 billion.
“We are encouraged to see that a harmful per-flight aviation user fee, which had been included in prior Obama Administration budgets, was not included in the President’s FY2016 budget. State and local elected officials, small businesses, farms, Chambers of Commerce and communities around the country have been overwhelmingly opposed to these new taxes and undue bureaucracy, and clearly, that message is getting through.
“We were disappointed, however, to see that the Administration has proposed changes to the depreciation schedule for the purchase of general aviation aircraft. The manufacture of general aviation aircraft supports over 1.2 million American jobs, and over $150 billion in economic impact. In addition, these aircraft help businesses to be more productive and efficient, they support local economies and the delivery of goods to communities around our nation, and they enable the delivery of critical services such as medical care, disaster relief, and law enforcement.
“In addition, the Administration has repeatedly discussed the importance of investing in our nation’s infrastructure, which is why it is disappointing to see that the President’s budget includes a reduction to AIP funding, which supports jobs and critical airport projects for many of our nation’s communities.”
Formed in 2007, the Alliance for Aviation Across America is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of over 6,300 individuals representing businesses, agricultural groups, FBO’s, small airports, elected officials, charitable organizations, and leading business and aviation groups that support the interest of the general aviation community across various public policy issues.
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