Another reason why BALPA isn't as expensive as some would have you believe.
BALPA have been negotiating with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), or the taxman to you and me, regarding the Fixed Rate Expense Allowance (FREA) system. Prior to this, FREA were negotiated locally by each tax office. This produced some glaring anomalies. In future the FREA which each airline gets will be negotiated at a national level and will result in all UK airlines getting the same together with an agreed mechanism for regular uplifts.
This applies to all uniformed commercial pilots and co-pilots, and other uniformed flight deck crew, for 2006/07 onwards. The agreement replaces all locally agreed FREAs and comes on top of the tax relief on subscriptions victory that we secured in 2004.
• The basic FREA is
£850, and it applies from tax year 2006/07.
• There is a further expenses deduction of
£100 to cover the allowable cost of travel to certain regular, specified activities. Under the terms of the agreement between HMRC and BALPA, uniformed pilots, co-pilots and other uniformed flight deck crew may obtain the expenses deductions for 2006/07 onwards.
There are other items that can be included like nooise cancelling headsets and uniforms if not provided by the employer. The fact is that in my airline where the locally agreed FREA was £400 pa, this means that BALPA have more than doubled my expenses deductions. Anyone in JET2 care to comment on what your locally agreed FREA was before BALPA negotiated this for your benefit too?
Add this to the 66.66% tax deductable amount off your 1% of salary membership (assuming you have been in a few years) and then all of a sudden BALPA membership is virtually FREE.
You still think the TGWU is your best option?
PP