WASHINGTON, DC, January 17, 2012 – The White House has responded to a request from over 8000 petitioners to review their policy of imposing general aviation user fees.  The petitioners requested this policy review through an online petition system set up by the Obama Administration called “We the People.”  The system ensures that when enough support is garnered (5000 petitioners threshold), White House staff review the petition, refer it to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response.  In this case, the White House reaffirmed their support of general aviation user fees.

“We were hopeful that the White House would take this petition, signed by thousands of citizens, and look carefully and constructively at their $100 user fee proposal on the general aviation industry,” said GAMA’s President and CEO Pete Bunce.  "Instead the Administration issued a canned response based on previously available material that does not look seriously at the adverse safety and economic consequences of their proposal.  If the Administration took a more deliberative approach, we believe they would have come to the same conclusion that Congress has: general aviation user fees are a bad idea."

Bunce added, “GAMA continues to express opposition to continued efforts to implement a $100 per flight tax proposal.  We believe this tax not only imposes a significant new administrative burden on general aviation operators who currently pay through an efficient per-gallon fuel charge at the pump, but it will also necessitate the creation of a costly new federal collection bureaucracy.   We do not need more policies that will hinder the economic recovery of the general aviation industry.”

View https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/take-aviation-user-fees-table/Mtjk9lM3  for the White House’s response.