Optimist
I can understand your confusion to the fact that you can legally take your friends, family and business associates flying while the same people who may pay for a flight have to do so through a licenced establishment.
Should the reason given be based on safety then you are justified at considering the CAA do not regard the lives of your passengers on a private flight as equal to the same people paying for a flight.
If the CAA state that the regulations are in place to protect AOC holders business from unfair competition then that would be more easely understood.
I can also understand especially in this recession hard pressed PPL holders wanting to take money to cover the cost of the flight.
So how would you achieve that without opening the flood gates to a mass of would be commercial PPLs trying to cover their costs.
Go into the higher levels of multi crew private aircraft flown by professional crews yet where they are still not able to profit from the flight and it then does appear to be protectionsism under the guise of something else.
Pace