I thought the fuel tax was removed as it was deemed unfair and the cost of operation could be lowered by removing a unecessary tax on operation. I am 'suprised' that we still have a fuel tax which somehow CASA gets to spend.
Neville N,
Let's get a few facts straight, shall we.
Don't make a target of me for a fraction of a cent, but the then levy on Avgas only (which meant no turbine operator paid anything) was largely to subsidize secondary airport towers.
As I recall, the total levy was 15.2 cents per litre, of which 13.8 cents went to Airservices, the rest went to CAA/CASA ---- avgas only, no turbine operator paid, so Dick paid nothing at his home base (he always made it VERY clear that he thought this was most unfair), no significant airline paid a cent.
Absolutely nothing to do with towers at secondary or the occasional smaller towered airports, some time later an excise was levied on ALL domestic aviation fuel use, and most of the funds went to CASA. Instead of further jacking up CASA service chargers, plus consolidated revenue, CASA received a steady income, with the kero burners and avgas users all paying.
The nature of this excise, and it use, is completely different to the one Dick had removed.
It was never fair, that GA outside the major cities (the major part of GA) got slugged 13.8 cents per litre for avgas, for a service they never or rarely received, so a few operators at the capital city secondary airports received services at a cost far below the cost of the service ---- and turbine operators paid nothing at all for the services.
Indeed, I used to have some figures for avgas sales, to show who paid and who got the heavily subsidized ( by out-of- towners), as I recall, (about 1996??) about 80% of sales were NOT at capital city secondary airports (air ag. were big users).
Now I keep hearing people complain about landing charges that are paid to the airport operator, nothing to do with an excise, although I will say that the, in my opinion, dirty deal between AsA and Archerfield is very naughty, as I understand it, you wind up paying an AsA component, even if the tower is closed?
Tootle pip!!