The FAA's budget is $8-9 billion and the total user contribution is about $6
billion. I'm not sure whether the FAA budget includes the cost of
collecting the user contribution.

The big issue for AOPA and NBAA is allocating the costs. It costs the same
to separate a 747 from a 172 as it does to separate the 172 from the 747.
Obviously the 747 is paying a lot more for the service than the 172. The
airlines want to change this and the 172 owner (and Gulfstream owner) wants
to keep it the same as it is now.

I agree that the Aviation Trust Fund like the Social Security trust fund is
an accounting construct where the money is counted twice. I also agree that
the whole idea of privatizing ATC is transparent ploy to increase taxes.
Right now a portion of our (above average) income taxes are paying for a
portion of ATC, if ATC gets privatized nobody is proposing to lower those
taxes to offset the ATC fees.

Mike
MU-2


"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 05 Sep 2003 03:20:35 GMT, "Mike Rapoport"
wrote:

No way. Everything I have read, including anti-privatization pieces from
AOPA, says fuel taxes and airlilne ticket taxes do not come close to
funding
ATC and airport improvements. If it was already self funding, there
would
be no incentive to privatize it and the controllers union wouldn't be
afraid
of privatization.

Twice the aviation "trust fund" has gotten so large that congress
refused to renew the taxes, running the fund into the ground when they
were pushing for privatization..

It has been included in the "general fund" figures to artificially
reduce the deficit for years.

The money is there, but it's not available. The FAA isn't allowed to
use it in the normal sense. They have to justify and then get their
budget as if it were from the general fund.

It's an extremely confusing issue and I make no claim to being right.
It's just the way I read the issue.

Check out the "Aviation Trust Fund". I've read more than once that
ATC *could* be self supporting were the Trust Fund made openly
available instead of being siphoned off.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)


Mike
MU-2


"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
.. .
On 04 Sep 2003 04:27:03 GMT, Stan Gosnell
wrote:

"Mike Rapoport" wrote in
link.net:

The pilots don't like it because they are forced to pay for the
services that they recieve. Everybody else likes it.

"the people who have personally benefitted financially" are the
pilots and controllers.

And those few citizens who buy airline tickets. If the airlines had
to
pay
for ATC services, do you really think they wouldn't pass those charges
on
to the passengers? As it is, the cost is spread out among everyone
who
pays taxes,

My understanding:
The system as it is currently financed is from fuel and gate (ticket)
taxes. The system is not only self supporting, but actually
accumulates money. Unfortunately the way the system is set up the FAA
has to justify the money they spend as if it comes from the general
fund. Only those who fly and use aviation fuel are paying in to the
system, not he general taxpayer.

It is one of the few government agencies that has been self
supporting, even if it does have some problems. Many of which are due
to the way congress lets them have their own money.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)

and the burden to any one individual is negligible.