After several years of lobbying, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has finally seen the fruit of its effort to urge Pennsylvania legislators to eliminate a 6-percent state sales tax on the retail sale of aircraft parts and maintenance.

“This bill creates major cost savings for aircraft owners,” said Mark Kimberling, AOPA’s director of state government affairs. “It will also boost the competiveness of Pennsylvania’s aviation industry in a region where neighboring states with similar benefits have siphoned off aviation jobs and investment. This tax measure will level the playing field and stem the exodus of aviation activity and jobs.”

When the Senate did not act on the bill last year, advocates in the state legislature reintroduced it this year. The tax exemption measure eventually became part of an omnibus budget-related bill, ensuring that it would be considered during the state’s House, Senate and Governor’s office budget conference.

AOPA also simultaneously worked to defeat a proposed Pennsylvania tax of 2 cents per gallon on jet fuel.