FAA shutdown could cost US $1bn (£610m) in lost taxes by Geezer

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FAA shutdown could cost US $1bn (£610m) in lost taxes

POSTED BY: GEEZER
UPDATED: Thursday, August 4, 2011 15:37
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Wednesday, August 3, 2011 9:09 AM

Keep the Shiny side up

And more idiocy from the idiots in Congress.

Quote:
The US could lose up to $1bn (£610m) in airline ticket taxes, officials say, amid an impasse in Congress over the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The agency has been forced into partial shutdown after its operating authority expired on 23 July.

The government has already lost more than $200m because airlines are unable to collect taxes on ticket sales. Some 4,000 FAA staff are on unpaid leave.

Lawmakers are not due back from their annual leave until September.

Close to 4,000 FAA employees, including engineering technicians and computer specialists, have been forced to take a temporary leave of absence because of the partial shutdown.

The FAA has also told about 70,000 construction workers on airport projects to stop work.

It is reported to have asked dozens of airport inspectors to work without pay and charge their government travel expenses to their personal credit cards.

"These men and women are now being asked to spend their own money to do their jobs... This is one of the most outrageous things that I can comprehend," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said during a news conference on Wednesday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14391886

Someone commenting on NPR today said the problem was an excess of testosterone on both sides in the Senate. Probably so. Seems like reasonable folks could pass the funding now and settle the other stuff later, but "reasonable" and "Congress" don't seem to have more than a nodding acquaintance any more. And the government is losing $200 million in tax revenue a week while these folks are having a "Mine's bigger" contest.

And just to add icing to the rip-pff cake, the airlines have increased their prices by the amount of the taxes not being collected, apparently just because they can.

Voting "None of the above" again is starting to look better and better.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011 9:36 AM

M52NICKERSON

DALEK!

I wish "none of the above" was a real option.

I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011 12:57 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Huh. So lower taxes DON'T translate to lower prices.

Imagine that.

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011 4:03 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Huh. So lower taxes DON'T translate to lower prices.

Imagine that.

Per the news tonight, Delta and US Air are not bumping their prices and are rebating any taxes they collected. Others, not so much.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Thursday, August 4, 2011 8:50 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Well, go Delta and US Air!

There were a couple who never DID raise fares, too:

Quote:
Alaska Airlines and the discount carrier Spirit Airlines were among the few holdouts, said Rick Seaney, the chief executive of FareCompare.com, which monitors airline fares. In a statement, Spirit Airlines took the opportunity to chide its competitors.

“Spirit is passing along all of these tax-rollback savings to its customers,” it said. “Some carriers have not been so generous and have pocketed the difference in taxes, in the form of higher fares.”

“The consumer should have saved anywhere from $25 to $50 round trip,” Mr. Seaney said. “Instead, it’s a windfall for the airlines.”

The response?

Quote:
But Jean Medina , a spokeswoman for the Air Transport Association , the airline industry trade group, said, “Basically, consumers are now paying the same as they did last week.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/business/airlines-raise-fares-as-fed
eral-taxes-expire.html

Yeah, with you guys pocketing the difference! Talk about unclear on the concept!

I'll makea note of those who refused to play the game and those who relented, should I ever get the chance to travel again! I hope others do, too (tho' I doubt they will).

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Thursday, August 4, 2011 3:37 PM

FREMDFIRMA

I think the whole matter shows the true colors of the corporate world in response to tax cuts, and why "trickle down" amounts to a trickle of piss landing on our heads as the corpies fuck us once again.

Lets face it, if it weren't for muckrakers shouting it from the hilltops, and massive consumer backlash, they would have ALL raised fares by exactly that amount and kept em there.

I'm surprised they didn't do so anyway, given that just like GM, when customers refuse to use their service in retaliation for their bullshit, and the bullshit they allow without even a token protest (TSA shakedown) it's not like they're gonna take a financial hit since the Gov will just bail them out and then you STILL get jacked for the money, and don't even get a plane ride.

What was that about "wealth redistribution" again ?
Cause they sure fucking redistributed MINE to the fucking airlines and to general motors, but I don't see any so-called-conservatives bitching about THAT, do I now ?

So you'll pardon me if this token little gesture doesn't mollify my annoyance all that much.

-Frem
PS. And yes, the airlines DID get a bailout package, just in case anyone friggin forgot, cause I sure haven't!

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