General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) President and CEO, Pete Bunce, issued the following statement regarding the U.S. President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025:
“The general and business aviation industry has supported the Biden-Harris Administration in strengthening safety, furthering workforce investments and enhancing sustainability of the sector. We are pleased to see that the President’s Budget prioritizes investment in the FAA to improve certification and oversight, and address air traffic workforce and facilities and equipment issues,” noted Bunce. “It is, however, disheartening to see that short-sighted political proposals are now being put forth that can set back our industry with consequences that harm our indispensable workforce, the very same men and women in the United States manufacturing sector that the Administration claims to emphatically support.”
The political soundbites of closing the so-called corporate jet loophole and drastically increasing the jet fuel tax, by nearly five times, does nothing more than harm demand for state-of-the-art aircraft that are called ‘business jets’ or ‘corporate jets’ for a specific reason. “These vehicles facilitate efficient mobility for businesses to create jobs throughout our nation, particularly in communities underserved by commercial service. Why would the Administration want to hurt workers who make these aircraft or those communities that benefit from the jobs and/or mobility these vehicles enable,” questioned Bunce.
Bunce said it is important to note that general and business aviation supports $247 billion in total economic output and 1.2 million total jobs in the United States. The industry fosters and provides critical transportation options to companies and organizations of all kinds and sizes, including nonprofits, agriculture, emergency response, forest fire suppression, law enforcement, humanitarian services and government agencies. The general and business aviation industry has also been an innovation incubator for the entire aviation sector whether through implementing safety or efficiency improvements or being first adopters in the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. “The health and livelihood of our industry is dependent on having an effective, reliable and conducive regulatory and business environment,” said Bunce. “These tax proposals go in the wrong direction.”
While the President’s Budget is an outline of the Administration’s priorities, Bunce said they encourage Congress to have a more constructive approach as it works to set and pass the budget for the federal government in the coming fiscal year. “In the meantime, GAMA will continue its staunch advocacy of our world-class manufacturers and workforce, demonstrating the utility and importance of the industry and its great manufacturing jobs before the Administration and Congress.”
