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AOPA Applauds Bipartisan House Letter Nixing Proposed $100 User Fee

Frederick, MD – The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association commends a letter written by House Aviation Subcommittee leaders Chairman Tom Petri (R-Wis.) and Ranking Member Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and House GA Caucus Co-Chairs Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and John Barrow (D-Ga.) to President Obama outlining opposition to a $100 user fee in the administration’s fiscal year 2013 budget. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and ranking member Nick Rahall (D-W. Va.) also signed the letter.

Their letter, which totaled 195 Congressional signatures, reminded the administration that user fees have been proposed by presidents of both parties, but have been overwhelmingly defeated each time.

AOPA President Craig Fuller welcomed the strong and early message from Capitol Hill and called on the administration to drop the plan in the face of formidable opposition. “It is clear that Congressional opposition to aviation user fees has grown significantly,” he said. “We said at the time it was a proposal likely to be dead on arrival. Let's hope the $100 per flight user fee is buried quickly by the Obama Administration.”

AOPA opposes user fees because they would dismantle the successful pay-at-the-pump method of funding the air traffic system through fuel taxes. User fees would also require creation of a tax-collection bureaucracy.

Petri, in a statement announcing the letter, emphasized that opposition to user fees is firm and growing. “Almost half of the House members signed, and we would have no trouble getting a majority if this proposal were ever to be advanced to the full House, which it won't,” he said.

- AOPA –

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March 2, 2012