Byron Dorgan: “let me finish with a very brief statement. I do not want people to misunderstand what we are discussing here. This is…”

“let me finish with a very brief statement. I do not want people to misunderstand what we are discussing here. This is not myself or others suggesting that we like a 10-percent ticket tax because it has the word ``tax'' in it. Let me explain exactly what this is. For some many years we have had a 10-percent tax added to the price of airline tickets for the purpose of funding a wide range of activities in the Federal Aviation Administration, the construction of airports, the purchase of equipment dealing with airline safety, a whole range of things dealing with FAA control towers. We have always funded that with this 10-percent tax on tickets. To decide that there shall not be a 10-percent tax on tickets means that there is no funding, or at least the major funding for the FAA is not going to be available. That is why I say it does not make much sense for us to worry about and talk about the FAA and its functions, the critical functions it performs for passengers in our country, and then to allow the disconnection of the major revenue source to fund the FAA.”