Senate Committee Votes on Jet Fuel Tax Increase

The Senate Finance Committee approved reauthorization of the U.S. Airport and Airways Trust Fund (AATF) on Tuesday, Feb. 8, and the bill will probably be included in the FAA Reauthorization bill already before the Senate. The committee's proposal includes an increase in jet fuel tax for general aviation aircraft to 35.9 cents per gallon from the current 21.8 cents. The added revenue is meant to contribute $400 million per year to implementation of the NextGen air traffic control modernization program. The figures announced by the committee on Tuesday are in line with what the Senate passed last year in a 93-0 vote on FAA reauthorization funding. That bill stalled in the House, however, and the new Congress is working on this year's effort to secure a long-term FAA funding package.