[net.aviation] [Werner Uhrig: Av-gas tax to go up eightfold

ron@Brl-Tgr.ARPA (04/18/84)

From:      Ron Natalie <ron@Brl-Tgr.ARPA>

YES, read about this in this month's FLYING magazine and then write your
congressman.

-Ron

----- Forwarded message # 1:

Received: From brl.arpa.ARPA by BRL-TGR via smtp;  18 Apr 84 4:39 EST
Received: From mit-mc.arpa.ARPA by BRL-AOS via smtp;  18 Apr 84 4:32 EST
Received: from MIT-MC by MIT-OZ via Chaosnet; 18 Apr 84 04:26-EST
Date: Wed 18 Apr 84 03:25:40-CST
From: Werner Uhrig <CMP.WERNER@UTEXAS-20.ARPA>
Subject: Av-gas tax to go up eightfold (from Texas TAC-Bulletin)
To: aviation@UTEXAS-20.ARPA

			  WORTH AIRING
			 ==============

If the Congressional Budget Office is taken seriously, then
there's a chance general aviation fuel taxes will go up roughly
eightfold to $1 per gallon.  The CBO, that provides Congress with
non-partisan economic information, says general aviation should
pay about 27% of total FAA costs ( instead of the current 3.3% ),
and that higher fuel taxes are the only means of coming up with
the money.

The report notes that the Federal Government recovers almost
4/5th of it's civil aviation costs through existing user fees,
but states commercial airline passengers carry the bulk of the
tab.  Based on costs actually incurred by the FAA, the CBO report
claims commercial air carriers should pay about 53% instead of
the current 64% share.

A fairer distribution of user fees would raise the present tax of
12 cents to $1. Commercial airline ticket taxes would be lowered
from 8% to 7.2%.

The biggest culprit, the CBO report states, is the business jet.
It points out that although commercial airliners carry most of
the passenger traffic, business-owned aircraft make more flights
and use a disproportionate amount of air traffic control services.

Other means of squeezing money out of general aviation users
include the following CBO-suggested practices:  two-tiered
landing fees at congested airports to increase the price for
landing during peak hours; and a tax on the sale of GA avionics
equipment or a direct tax on the use of specific ATC services,
similar to the European system.
-------


----- End of forwarded messages