Tax — Conn. Keeps GA Breaks, N.Y. Doesn’t

Connecticut continues to be a tax haven for general aviation and there’s a lobbying effort underway to do the same in New York. Connecticut legislators were considering repealing its aircraft tax exemption program but the National Business Aviation Association and the Connecticut Business Aviation Group convinced the politicians that the economic value of business aviation was worth preserving. The legislators abandoned an effort to repeal the exemptions and they remain in full force. Now, the lobbying effort switches to New York. New York’s Senate passed a bill that would exempt sales and use tax on the sale of GA aircraft but the House turned it down. According to NBAA, the New York Aviation Management Association is lobbying directly and a letter-writing campaign has been initiated (perhaps mentioning the greener fields next door in Connecticut) to push the bill through.