President Barack Obama has again come under fire for saying he wants to end tax breaks for owners of business jets in the USA - this time during the first presidential debate with Mitt Romney.
National Business Aviation Association chief executive Ed Bolen has accused Obama of "disparaging business aviation and mischaracterising the industry".
During the 3 October debate, Obama argued for a change to laws that allow businesses that own their own jets to depreciate their value over five years, compared with seven for charter operators.
"Why wouldn't we eliminate tax breaks for corporate jets? My attitude is if you got a corporate jet, you can probably afford to pay full freight, not get a special break for it," he said.
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| Rex Features President Barack Obama has again come under fire for saying he wants to end tax breaks for owners of business jets in the USA - this time during the first presidential debate with Mitt Romney |
The President has been condemned previously for remarks about tax breaks to owners of corporate jets, including during a press conference in June 2011. Two years earlier, at the height of the global financial crisis, the image of business aviation was dealt a blow when chief executives of Detroit car makers flew to Washington DC in company jets to ask for government subsidies.
Bolen accuses Obama of having "denigrated" an industry that is "responsible for 1.2 million American jobs and $150 billion in economic impact".
He adds: "The President's comments completely mischaracterised the businesses and groups that depend on an airplane, the majority of which are small- to mid-sized businesses, farms, flight schools, medical care providers and emergency responders that use the aircraft to connect communities and grow their businesses."
Source: Flight International
