White House Takes Aim At Tax Breaks For Business Jet Owners

President Biden’s State of the Union speech on March 7—which described efforts to make “big corporations and the very wealthy finally pay their share”—drew fire from the National Business Aviation Association for targeting business jets, 

Noting that he signed a law for a corporate minimum tax, Biden added in his prepared speech: “I also want to end the tax breaks for Big Pharma, Big Oil, private jets, and massive executive pay! End it now!”

The speech followed a notice from the IRS last month that it was planning to launch at least “dozens” of audits regarding business aircraft use to ensure tax compliance in high-income categories.

Using additional funding received from the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS said it plans to “closely examine this area, which has not been closely scrutinized during the past decade as agency resources fell sharply.”

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National Business Aviation Association's Ed Bolen slams the agency’s crackdown as “an audit in search of a problem.”

IRS commissioner Danny Werfel had said in a statement: “With expanded resources, IRS work in this area will take off. These aircraft audits will help ensure high-income groups aren’t flying under the radar with their tax responsibilities.”

"Of course, every American business should pay the taxes they owe, but President Biden has unfairly chosen to target those who use business aviation, even though the vast majority of flights are taken by U.S. companies to help them compete effectively in a global marketplace," said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.

Bolen stressed that business aviation enables companies to be more efficient, productive, and flexible, as well as use remote locations. “That’s why the president’s own Cabinet members sometimes use business aircraft to do their jobs and visit with people in towns and cities across the nation,” he added, noting that the industry supports 1.2 million jobs and contributes $250 billion to the U.S. economy.

Further, Bolen maintained, “The IRS has not identified a compliance gap in business aviation.”