I would be curious to hear from any UK commercial pilot that have been told they are not entitled to the FREA by HM revenue and customs. I appreciate its slightly off the thread but as BALPA are raving about how effective they've been at negotiating this addition to UK commercial pilots tax coding this might add to the debate better out or in to BALPA?
HMRC are touting the line that the FREA does not apply to police or HEMS pilots, HMRC see them as not having a high a public profile as a commercial fixed wing pilot, so therefore police or HEMS pilots don't have the uniform purchasing and cleaning expenses that the FREA is designed to compensate for.
On top of this HMRC are saying that commercial fixed wing pilots have to take meals at their crew positions so stand a greater chance of getting their uniforms dirtier than a police or HEMS pilot, adding to their greater expenses as experienced by commercial fixed wing pilots.
I'm led to believe that the FREA doesn't descriminate against all the UK rotary pilots as the North Sea pilots
ARE permitted to have the FREA added to their tax coding, is this true?
Its only £950 on ones tax coding some might say but I'm curious in finding out how level the playing field is in the UK when it comes to commercial pilot tax coding and dealing with the various regional HMRC offices.
Cheers,
MS