Will you sign the petition to tax private space companies the same way airlines are taxed?!

Elon Musk's and Jeff Bezos's private and extravagant excursions aren't free—these billionaires are using public airspace that is maintained by taxpayer-supported air traffic controllers.

Will you sign the petition to tax SpaceX and Blue Origin so tax-dodging billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos can't use public, taxpayer-funded airspace for free?!

Dear MoveOn member, 

Elon Musk's and Jeff Bezos's private and extravagant excursions aren't free—these billionaires are using public airspace that is maintained by taxpayer-supported air traffic controllers. Every time a SpaceX or Blue Origin rocket is launched, air traffic controllers make sure that the airspace is clear and that no commercial airplanes are in the way. Without the controllers, there would be a serious risk of collisions.

It's time commercial space companies are required to pay what they owe for their launches! Add your name to call on Congress to tax companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin!

Right now, billionaires are in a self-indulgent space race, and despite claims about democratizing space travel, they are instead raking in the profits. Unsurprisingly, access to "space tourism" so far has been reserved for the ultrawealthy. Oliver Daemen paid $28 million for a seat on Blue Origin's first crew flight, and the corporation brought in $100 million for a 10-minute ride on New Shepard.^1,2 And already companies are backtracking on their promises. Virgin Galactic doubled the cost of their tickets on SpaceShipTwo, charging people $450,000. And  tickets to the International Space Station cost $55 million EACH.³

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pays for air traffic controllers. Each time an airplane takes off, airlines must pay federal taxes for the work of the controllers. But commercial space companies are NOT taxed the same, meaning the 300 rockets SpaceX launched over the past two decades have benefitted from public airways, without having to pay their fair share. 

President Biden wants to make for-profit companies pay for the public airways and government resources they are benefiting from. Sign the petition NOW to urge Congress to make SpaceX and Blue Origin pay what they owe!

For-profit space companies should be taxed for the public and government resources they use, like airlines are. Tell Congress to pass tax reforms to make them pay what they owe!

Private space companies are launching more rockets into space than ever before. Last year, there were 117 launches, nearly eight times more than in previous decades—and we're already on track in 2024 to exceed that.⁴ And as private space companies ramp up their efforts, they put more strain on federal resources for oversight, as well. But companies, including the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, are already giving excuses and pushing back against paying what they owe.⁵

The FAA is already underfunded and understaffed, with air traffic controllers working extensive overtime and reports of fatigue and exhaustion impacting safety.⁶ A report just last month revealed that the FAA is short 3,600 controllers.⁷ It's unfair and unacceptable for billionaires to be straining our federal resources while refusing to pay what they owe. Congress needs to catch up to the space race and reform our tax system to make sure everyday Americans are not left behind.

No excuses! Sign the petition to make private space companies pay taxes like airlines companies do!

There is no excuse for billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to not pay their fair share in taxes for businesses they run, but unfortunately, it's not new. In 2007, Jeff Bezos paid $0 in federal income taxes, and in 2018, Elon Musk did not pay a penny in federal taxes.⁸ Meanwhile, working-class people working at Amazon and Tesla have been subjected to harsh working conditions, have not been paid what they are worth, and have been subjected to many rounds of layoffs.

Click here to sign the petition and share with three friends to help spread the word.

Thanks for all you do. 

–Joey DeFrancesco, Demand Progress

Sources: 

1. "Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight took off this week. Here are the players taking civilians to space," Business Insider, August 12, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/193159?t=8&akid=389558%2E53570607%2E-_vPaT

2. "How much does a ticket to space on New Shepard cost? Blue Origin isn't saying," The New York Times, October 13, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/193160?t=10&akid=389558%2E53570607%2E-_vPaT

3. Ibid. 

4. "Biden Takes Aim at SpaceX's Tax-Free Ride in American Airspace," The New York Times, April 4, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/193155?t=12&akid=389558%2E53570607%2E-_vPaT

5. Ibid. 

6. "FAA to increase time off between air traffic controller shifts after report highlights risks," CNN, April 19, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/193161?t=14&akid=389558%2E53570607%2E-_vPaT

7. Ibid. 

8. "The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax," ProPublica, June 8, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/159548?t=16&akid=389558%2E53570607%2E-_vPaT

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