Corporate Jets Face $100-a-Flight Fee in Obama Deficit Plan

[Poll_Blind]

From Bloomberg Businessweek:

Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama’s administration proposed a $100 per-flight fee on corporate jets and other turbine-powered planes that use the U.S. air-traffic system.

The fee would raise an estimated $11 billion over 10 years, according to the president’s recommendations to the 12-member congressional committee charged with finding ways to trim the deficit. The fee is aimed at private aircraft, which currently don’t pay their fair share of costs of operating the aviation system, the administration said today.

--snip--

The Obama plan is aimed at pilots who fly under the supervision of air-traffic controllers.

“Recreational piston aircraft” wouldn’t have to pay the fee, according to the proposal. It would also exempt aircraft operated by the military or other government agencies, air ambulances and any flight that doesn’t require air-traffic guidance.

More...at the link.

PB

[ChandlerJr]

1. Just an extension of the Buffet tax

Warren owns over 340 of them. He won't mind.

[Broderick]

2. All for it.

they don't want to sit next to my smelly ass anyway. Charge them for the lush and plush ride.

[Raine1967]

3. GOOD!

IF people can afford to fly on a corporate jet, they can afford 5 20 dollar bills.

Close the damn loophole. This isn't class warfare; it's math.

More than a billion dollars a year is a very good start.

[rocktivity]

4. They can always jet-pool to save money

:evilgrin:
rocktivity

[rsmith6621]

5. And Don't Forget To Charge for The ESTMP Program

Corporate aviation uses this to get slots into airports where major events are taking place like...NASCAR.US Open Golf,Si Trips to Colorado,Montana,and Idaho....this program cost taxpayers 4 million per event and corporations NOTHING!

http://estmp.com/

[azureblue]

6. I've had this feeling

that,while the Repubs were making bigger fools of themselves over the deficit and job creation, Obama was quietly coming up with a thousand ways to (rightly) tax the rich. I think this proposal is just the first of a volley, and each new proposal will force the rich to defend their lavish lifestyles, while America sinks into debt and people go jobless and hungry.

[Liberal In Texas]

7. A drop in the bucket. But they'll really carp about it.

Mileage
Most private jets get less than five miles per gallons (mpg). A 17,000 pound Lear Jet 35, capable of carrying seven people at 485 mph gets about 4 mpg. A Gulfstream G-5 weighs 90,000 pounds is capable of carrying up to 18 people at over 530 mph. Because of its greater size and speed, it gets about 1.3 mpg. By comparison, the mileage of SUVs ranges between 11 mpg on the low end, and 34 mpg on some of the 2010 hybrid models.

Fuel Cost
According to the Energy Information Administration, the average nationwide cost of jet fuel across the United States in November of 2009 was $4.24 per gallon. Assuming the average private jet gets three miles per gallon, the fuel cost would be $1.41 per mile. The cost of gasoline during the same month across the nation averaged $2.67 per gallon. Assuming the average SUV gets approximately 18 miles per gallon, the cost of fuel would be $.09 per mile.

-from eHow

[jpgray]

8. Vs. $100 co-pay for home health visits

See? Balance.

[woo me with science]

16. Thank you.

:puke:

[indepat]

23. The heart and soul, the epitome, the crux of the skewed/depraved RW view of

shared sacrifice by making a mockery of each paying according to cost/value of service received and the means/ability to pay. :patriot:

[Ruby the Liberal]

9. "which currently don’t pay their fair share of costs of operating the aviation system"

That statement goes a LOT further than the meme they have let run for 18 months about a "tax on private planes" which sounds like a nit-picky joke given the severity of the economic crisis we are in.

[Dawson Leery]

10. It is a user fee by the wealthy to assist in keeping

the air traffic control system functioning properly. A fee it is and nothing more.

[underpants]

11. Some of them wipe their asses with $100 bills

they won't notice it

[Turbineguy]

12. It's turbine discrimination!

:evilgrin:

[JI7]

13. they should make it a thousand or more

[Earth_First]

14. Forgive my cynicism, but let's say that this DOES come to the light of day...

What compromise that will affect YOU and I will we have to contend with?

:shrug:

[ProgressiveProfessor]

15. There are any number of sources who would disagree that General Aviation does not pay its fair share

[pepito]

17. 500

would be more like it....i pay 30 fees per bag

[Zax2me]

18. What is this obsession with corporate jets?!

If they and the people who fly in them are that evil just ban the damn things.
Won't mean anything to me.
Never flown in one.

[Modern_Matthew]

19. I fucking love this President. nt

[lib2DaBone]

20. Corporate jets.. Obama.. a waste of time and energy.....

Small airports need General Avaiation to stay alive. Jets are not the problem.

Limited thinking by Obama... failure to provide real jobs.. here is the PROBLEM.

[sudopod]

21. That's what you call bait.

I'm kind of skeptical of the jobs plan, but Jupiter, this obviously isn't the whole plan. It'll be hilarious if the republicans fight it, especially if our side retorts with that $100 co-pay comeback upthread.

[sad sally]

22. Bashing private jets makes little people think they're cared about - yeah, right.

Tax lobbyiest and attorneys will find ways to write a new law to deduct these fees in a heartbeat.

[gratuitous]

24. Take a guess

Guess what provision of the entire Obama proposal will garner the lion's share of attention on the teevee programs? They won't give a tin shit about any number of things in the proposal that will affect millions of people across the country. But an extra hundred bucks to fly a corporate jet? It's class warfare!