AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 17

5 Maine

Aircraft use tax repeal effort relaunched in Maine
With a new majority in place, the Maine Senate will take up a bipartisan effort to repeal the notorious aircraft use tax that can slap outof-state owners of new aircraft with bills for up to 5 percent of the aircraft’s value. State Sen. Stan Gerzofsky, a Democrat from Brunswick, and the Senate’s new president, Kevin Raye, a Republican, have begun work on separate drafts of legislation that would repeal the tax Maine imposes on the value of visiting aircraft weigh-

ing less than 6,000 pounds that spend more than 20 days in the state within a year of purchase. AOPA Director of State Government Affairs Mark Kimberling had met with Raye and then governorelect Paul LePage this past year to discuss this issue and to urge the legislature to renew the effort to repeal this longstanding general aviation and economic impediment. The Mid-Coast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which has been tasked with attracting new aviation business to the nowcivilian-controlled Brunswick Naval Air Station, is also a

Baytown Airport (HPY) was one of Texas’ most promising general aviation airports upon its establishment in the late 1930s. After many vibrant years, however, this southeastern Texas airport began to deteriorate, with the most devastating blow dealt in 2008 at the hands of Hurricane Ike. With significant damage to the airport, some saw the destruction as an opportunity to seek the airport’s closure, but AOPA Airport Support Network Volunteer Don Jones and the newly selected airport manager, Charles Danley, saw this as an opportunity of a very different type. Together, Jones and Danley worked with local, state, and federal officials and the public to garner support for Baytown’s revitalization. Since then, HPY has had significant upgrades completed, including new instrument approaches, runway and taxiway improvements, more than 25 new hangars, and new pilot facilities. With based aircraft growing more than 35 percent and fuel sales growing 40 percent or more each year, Jones

Baytown Airport: Cleared for takeoff

“My bill seeks changes in tax law to make Maine more welcoming to airplane owners,” said Senate President Kevin Raye. “These changes should also provide an economic boost to Maine’s many municipal airports and their surrounding communities.”

strong supporter of the tax reform. A previous effort to repeal the tax failed in 2008 when a legislative appropriations committee seeking revenue sources to fill a large budget gap gutted a bill that would have exempted out-of-state aircraft owners from the use tax. Still, AOPA remains optimistic that this onerous tax will be reformed once and for all this year because of the new majority’s focus on long-awaited tax reform to save jobs and help re-invigorate Maine’s economy.

Airport Manager Charles Danley (left) and AOPA ASN Volunteer Don Jones.

and Danley see even more opportunity for improvement at Baytown. “The Baytown Airport is growing into one of the finest GA airports in the Houston area,” Jones says. “Our low fuel cost, pilot services, excellent airport management, and strong relationship with the community make Baytown a premiere GA airport. There is nowhere to go but up!”
For more information on learning how to volunteer for AOPA, visit AOPA Online (www.aopa.org/asn).
AOPA PILOT • 17 • MARCH 2011

JOHN HOLM

The number of Speakers of the House in the Oregon legislature. The two parties agreed to a power-sharing agreement after the elections left the chamber evenly divided at 30 to 30.

http://www.aopa.org/asn

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011