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That is exactly how it will work, Hartmut. But see, the forces driving this issue - the airlines - don't really care. I'm pretty sure they figure that if GA folds, more people will need to use them to get places. What they don't seem to understand, is that for many, if not most, of us, flying is sport, not transportation. So even if we can't fly ourselves, we still ain't going to do so via Northwest, American or any of the other cattle haulers. And even if they do understand that, they still don't care. Because the fewer of us in the "their" friendly skies, the better they like it. And what the politicians, and the general public, who favor user-fees fail to comprehend, is that if the cost of services get pushed on to us, and we stop flying, their system of services falters for lack of funds. Meaning now congress will have to raise taxes on the general public to finance the system. I wonder how happy that will make the general public. Michael Dean Lavelle Industries, Inc. Ph: 262-757-2237 Fax; 262-763-5607 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: Hartmut Beil [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, February 16, 2007 8:27 AM To: Gonzalez, Robert; Ercoupe Hangar Flying Subject: Re: [COUPERS-FLYIN] RE: Digest list: Ercoupe Hangar Flying ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- All, judging from my experience here in Germany, rising taxes on fuel or adding fees for the use of ATC will lead to nothing but sorting the people who fly. There is only a certain amount available to us that are not allowed to offset any of the costs for flying. Have this in mind - the FAA orders us not to share the costs. Let's say I have $200 a month available for flying. I spend all that in aviation fuel or autogas (but that will be less with the advance of ethanol in autogas). A certain amount of the money spent is available to the tax pool. If that taxed is raised, I still have only $200 available, but will get less flying hours out of the gas purchased because I get less gas. So I can fly less. If then ATC becomes a cost factor, I need to subtract that from the purchase power for gasoline, making me buy less gasoline, thus the government collect less taxes and my estimate is that the cost for the administration of collecting user fees will cost the user fees, so the government will make not more money, but less. But there will be a few more work places financed by the few flights that are left to us. But since we fly less and less, even those places will be soon in need of tax-payer support. If that then is getting compensated with higher taxes and fees, we are in a downward spiral that eliminates GA and puts aviation enthusiasts on their flight simulators or into their model building shop. That's how it is here in Germany. Hartmut ============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
