I refuse to keep on apologising for my hobby and what it costs me, I dislike the money that flows from my back pocket to benefits, but I am told that it's my punishment for being successful!! I also sign a cheque for HMRC from my company on a monthly basis which irks me considering the inability of the powers that be to spend it responsibly...
My comments in a previous posting remain topical....
It gets me going when some suggest that all I am doing in this country is to pillage and rob the economy and those people that do not partake of one of my passions…
‘Millionaire pilots’ invariably contribute the following items to keep this economy afloat, including but not limited to:
1. PAYE in HUGE chunks, because they are either employed, or employers,
2. Tax on fuel for their vehicle(s),
3. Road tax for their vehicle(s),
4. Create employment in aviation,
5. Council tax in HUGE chunks for their residences, because I cannot imagine many of them, if any, in benefit housing,
6. Huge chunks of VAT for equipment, training, etc, etc,
7. Taxes on aviation fuel.
Taxes should not be punitive, should not be tweaked and adjusted to reflect my income/asset base/activities etc, it should be levied equally to those that partake, or could potentially partake of the benefits provided by those taxes.
Alternately people with other expensive hobbies, i.e. photography, parenthood, car racing, etc etc should be subjected to the same persecution....