Obama Runs User Fees Up the Budget Flagpole

A line in President Obama's budget proposal for fiscal year 2010 has put general aviation lobbyists on high alert: "the budget proposes repealing some aviation excise taxes and replacing these taxes with direct user charges."

A spokesman for the National Business Aviation Association said it is "very troubled," because the line appears to leave the door open to consideration of aviation user fees for funding the FAA.

The National Air Transportation Association expressed hope that Congress will reject the user-fee proposal as it has done previously. According to NATA president
Jim Coyne, "I agree with House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman James Oberstar [D-Minn.], who said, 'The current system of aviation excise taxes has proved to be a stable and efficient source of funding for our aviation system.'"