Although the immediate urgency lies with the ADIZ controversy, perhaps the most important (and jubilantly received) statement by Mineta was that he believes a fuel tax, and not user fees for GA, is the way to increase and stabilize revenue for the FAA. “I can tell you right now from my perspective [the solution] will not be user fees,” he told the crowd. AOPA and other GA groups have been pushing for a fuel tax as the most equitable way of apportioning the cost of the system to those who use it. Although Boyer welcomed Mineta’s position, he cautioned that there’s a lot of detail left to be filled in. Boyer pointed out that Mineta knew he was talking to a predominantly piston-single crowd and wondered just what the Secretary’s definition of general aviation includes. “Does that mean all of GA? GA is a huge universe,” he told AVweb. “Does ‘no user fees’ mean that whole spectrum?” Meanwhile, Boyer said the airlines are lobbying hard to make GA pay more. He said their position is that, regardless of the size of aircraft, direct costs should be assessed to each aircraft based on the number of departures and time in the system. “That means a VLJ (very light jet) would pay as much as a 747 for the same flight,” he said.
…Mineta Favors Fuel Tax…
Key Takeaways:
- Secretary Mineta announced his opposition to user fees for General Aviation (GA) and advocated for a fuel tax as the preferred method for increasing and stabilizing FAA revenue, a position welcomed by GA groups.
- AOPA's Boyer, while welcoming Mineta's stance, cautioned that details regarding the Secretary's definition of "general aviation" and the full scope of "no user fees" still need clarification.
- Airlines are actively lobbying for a different funding model, suggesting direct costs based on departures and time in the system, which would mean smaller GA jets pay as much as larger commercial aircraft for similar flights.
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