Is there a European version of HM MORC Drawback??

[rmdr2]

Hi fellow pilots

I have, on occasion, made use of the HM Drawback scheme to claim the fuel tax back on flights to Europe. However, I was wondering if there is something similar for claiming back fuel tax for flights orginating in Europe and ending up back here in the UK?

I.e. is there a European version of Drawback?

Advice gratefully received!

rmdr2

[dublinpilot]

If you tell the refuller, flights departing the Republic of Ireland will be supplied duty free. No drawback...you get the fuel duty free in the first place.

dp

[IO540]

The other other drawback I have heard of, 3rd hand, is Italy.

Dublinpilot's revelation is pretty amazing!!

[cvlux]

Some year ago, in italy if the flight was international, you had right of free duty fuel. I don't know know with the EU.
Do you remember (2001-2002) the commander that crashed into a skyscreaper in Milan? he was going to milan to refuel tax free. It was quite usual for swiss to go in italy and for tax free fuel.

[Fright Level]

I asked the refueller in Calais last week and he said he could sell me tax free fuel if I had "le document". I asked what he meant and he tried to find an example (without success). With his rudimentary English my schoolboy French I understood he wanted a document that proved the aircraft was based overseas. No problem, the Certificate of Registration, insurance etc all inside the a/c. I'd get them and we could pay for fuel sans 20% tax n'est-ce pas?

Non, "next time" I was told. So there is some document the French will accept to buy tax free fuel. Anyone know what it might be?

[flyingfemme]

An AOC works in the EU.

[rmdr2]

Does anyone have any info on how one gets an AOC - infact, what is an AOC? Presumably it is associated with the aircraft rather than an individual

[IO540]

Google (http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1196) has the answers as usual.

An AOC is a very expensive piece of paper (5 digits plus) which you purchase from the national CAA and then pay them more money every year to renew it.

It's a bit like ISO9000. You write up a procedures manual which somebody has to approve and you are supposed to stick to it ;) The CAA like everybody to think that an AOC makes the operation more safe. Time to get my coat, while the usual suspects wade in :)

In the UK, you need an AOC for most forms of remunerated flight, with flight training being one notable exception. You need it for charter, for example, even if doing charter in an old Seneca. I even know of one case where somebody had an AOC for traffic spotting for a local radio station - it could not possibly have been worth the money, but that business was being funded by a rather distant individual...

The AOC is issued to the organisation. However, the planes need to be maintained by a more expensive (carefull avoiding the use of "better" because it isn't) company, and there is a smaller choice of where to buy parts from because even though they are the same they need to come with more fancy paperwork if used in an AOC operated plane.

An important observation is that, in Europe, a CPL is all but worthless unless the holder gets a job in a firm which has an AOC. A lone freelance CPL can do very nearly nothing of relevance - other than be a paid pilot for his employer.

In most and possibly all of Europe, you can get tax free avgas by showing the AOC to the pump operator. In the UK, the tax reclaim is done separately, a bit like claiming back VAT I think.

In some countries (never the UK), it is possible to get tax free avgas by claiming the flight is "commercial" and producing some evidence e.g. a business visiting card or a fuel card in the name of a company. I am also told that wearing the standard pilot uniform helps. But these opportunities are getting more and more scarce. I used to have a lot of success back in 2003 but last year it worked in only one place.

[flyingfemme]

Sorry.

The point is that "commercial" organisations are entitled to reclaim the taxes. In the rest of Europe they define commercial as "holding an AOC". This is, of course, a subset of commercial ops.

As for drawbacks - I've never managed to get a penny from any country other than the UK.

[IO540]

AFAIK in the UK you need to be an AOC holder to claim back the avgas duty, so it looks like the UK also defines 'commercial' as AOC-holding.

[flyingfemme]

Unless you are departing these shores; in which case anyone may reclaim (or not pay). I've never been able to do that for avgas or jet in any other country.

[pmh1234]

We have had no tax on avgas for years in Denmark, Sweden and several other countries. This has not been in line with the European energy directive. There was a possibility to not follow this. Now the EU has decided that everybody needs to follow the Energy Directive.
This means that everybody has to pay tax on Avgas. If the trip is other than “private pleasure flying” there is a possibility to claim the tax back or not to pay tax whatever system the country will decided on.
Since this is coming from the EU I think that every country will soon be the same. We then have to apply in each and every country to claim the tax back when it is a business flight.
It is a shame that the EU monster has to interfere with things like this.
In Denmark AOPA among other tried to persuade the government to follow the same guidelines as I have seen is tried in the UK. Avgas is taxed but is classed as a special fuel with a special low tax. The Danish tax authorities asked the EU – they answered that this was not possible. Why it is possible in UK and not in DK? I hope you don’t get our fuel prices……..