NBTA Urges Congress to Maintain Integrity of Aviation Trust Fund
Recent press accounts have reported plans to divert funds designated for airport improvements and air traffic control modernization. The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) today sent letters to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi urging them not to consider such plans. The letters read:
“NBTA was dismayed to see published press accounts that a plan to divert Federal Aviation Administration excise taxes to offset a $50 billion Alternative Minimum Tax bill is being considered.
In 2003, Congress passed FAA Reauthorization bill (H.R. 2115) which ensured all taxes and revenues paid into the Aviation Trust Fund are fully spent and that airport improvements and air traffic control modernization are fully funded.
The ability for the FAA to safely negotiate aviation is becoming increasingly strained for a number of reasons. Any effort to redirect or shift funding from the trust fund, no matter how temporary, is unacceptable. This is especially true today with Congress stuck in a stalemate over how to fund much needed capacity and technology improvements to the air traffic control system.
NBTA believes that the current aviation system needs dramatic upgrades in infrastructure and technology in order to cope with significant growth in future air travel. Congress should be focused on securing funding and building tomorrow’s air traffic control system instead of looking for opportunities to divert funding to cover other non travel related expenses.”
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world’s premier business travel organization. U.S.-based NBTA and its regional subsidiaries – NBTA Asia Pacific, NBTA Canada and NBTA Mexico – serve more than 3,000 members in 30 nations around the globe. NBTA has 42 U.S. Chapters with more than 5,000 members. NBTA members are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of global business travel expenditures annually. The association provides industry-leading networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.nbta.org.
For media information, contact Caleb Tiller, +1 703-684-0836 ext. 138, or Nicole Hayes, +1 703-684-0836 ext. 133.
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