Flyingstig,
Nothing sanctimonious. You started this thread and it is titled “Pilots self-employed for tax purposes”. I think you are getting a bit sensitive if you think that my comment reflects on you individually. It actually relates to a major profitable airline using a very questionable practice of claiming self employment status for a significant group of its pilots.
If you honestly believe any of these pilots are self employed then most of the people I know (outside of flying) who genuinely are, wouldn’t mind the same guarantees around their employment status.
The main airline using this “nice” dodge is extremely profitable and yet appears to pay below market rates for most recently recruited pilots. (Indeed, did it ever have the best remunerated pilots as it used to brag about in its recruitment campaigns?) How do they try to compensate for the less than market rate terms and conditions? Get the tax man (ie the rest of us) to subsidise it!
As is often the case, one employer gets away with it and then another (Astraeus) sees the opportunity and it follows. Common link? They are both paying s..t! Journey to the bottom well and truly started! When Monarch, Baby, Jet2, Easy have to start competing with this cost base advantage guess where they will want to go?
Apologies if I have tweaked your sensitivities as I am sure that you have more than paid your way (as have most pilots, I would suggest). I am sure like the rest of us you have had your fair share of unstable employment. It seems to me that this sort of dodgy scheme will only add to that instability. Imagine when all pilots are self employed and we are paid on a daily rate. But think of all the tax benefits we will enjoy on the 80 or so days per year we are able to get work.........