A Gulfstream G550 jet parked in a hangar at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma. Long Island officials and aviation companies are lobbying Albany for a tax exemption saying the state is losing jobs and revenue to other states. (Oct. 31, 2011)

Long Island officials and aviation companies are lobbying Albany to introduce a sales tax exemption on purchases of corporate jets in a bid to stop jobs and revenue from leaking across state lines.

As Congress and the White House negotiate over the nation's deficit and debt ceiling, the business aviation community has cause for alarm. I'm sending this message to explain the situation, and what steps our industry must take to confront it.

Thanks to successful advocacy efforts by NBAA Members, the Connecticut Legislative Aviation Caucus and the Connecticut Business Aviation Group, the state will continue its role as an important location for business aviation. The House and Senate in Connecticut passed a budget that does not contain the potentially devastating tax increases for aviation that were proposed in earlier versions. The final budget, Senate Bill 1239 has been transmitted to the Governor for his signature.

Even as New York faces tremendous economic and political challenges, the aviation industry's significant contribution to the State's economy continues to be undervalued by policymakers. However, as the 2011 legislative session gets underway, the New York Aviation Management Association (NYAMA) will be well prepared to address important issues on your behalf. Our success will be enhanced by a solid presentation about the critical role aviation plays in New York and strong participation by aviation leaders during our Advocacy Day in Albany this Spring.

Save the Date for Advocacy Day!

With this thought in mind, please mark your calendars now as NYAMA will hold its Advocacy Day on March 22, 2011 in Albany, NY. We will need every airport and aviation business to collectively make our case for aviation as a fundamental way to create jobs. Details will be available on our website on on the NYAMA website at www.nyama.com very soon!