Oklahoma's Gov. Mary Fallin opposes user fee for general aviation

The Alliance for Aviation Across America on Thursday publicized letters from Fallin and New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch supporting the general aviation industry and opposing the proposed tax.

“While general aviation is one of the most important sectors of our economy, and in fact is one of the few manufacturing sectors that contribute positively to the balance of trade, it has been hit hard by the economic downturn,” Fallin states in her letter, which was written in November but made public Thursday. Placing a new tax burden on this segment of the economy will do more harm than good and put thousands of jobs at risk, she added.

In September, a petition signed by nearly 9,000 people asked the White House to abandon plans to add a $100 per flight fee and instead tax aviation fuel. A response from the White House says they believe the tax is a fair way to continue to fund air traffic services, and the fee would generate an estimated $11 billion over 10 years. The response was signed by Dana Hyde, associate director for general government programs for the Office of Management and Budget.

According to the Alliance for Aviation Across America, Fallin, a Republican, and Lynch, a Democrat, join a growing list of state and local officials who support protecting general aviation from such fees.