New gov tax on aircraft!

[vee-tail-1]

Apologies if this has been posted before.
HM treasury is proposing a new tax on aircraft, and is looking for responses to its consultation document:

www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consultations_and_legislation/aviation/consult_aviation_duty.cfm (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consultations_and_legislation/aviation/consult_aviation_duty.cfm)

Under this new proposal some of us could be paying two lots of tax, fuel tax & aircraft tax. :yuk:

[Redbird72]

Following a very quick review of the document, it seems to suggest a de minimis rule that would exclude aircraft under 5.7 tonnes from the new tax.

By my reckoning, this should mean that private flyers are pretty much exempt - 5.7 tonnes is about 12,500 lb which is the weight of a 15 seat king air ...

However, the de minimis weight is open for suggestion, so could change. :(

[S-Works]

Only if you are flying something above 5.7t. The duty we pay on our Avgas covers us.

The Avtur burners are going to feel the increase in duty but we are not going to have to pay anything more.

[Captain Smithy]

As usual, the Govt. playing the "environmental" card. Has anyone read the document? Muchos excrement spouted about the Stern Report, "Climate Change challenges" etc. :rolleyes:

Bose-X - I wouldn't hold your breath. I'm sure they wouldn't mind slapping it onto sub-5.7t aircraft as well.

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

4.7
A list of the potential exemptions that the Government will consider, if sufficient evidence is provided, are listed below:


• flights from the highlands and islands – the Government will consider
making this an exemption from aviation duty, as it is from APD, but this
will be subject to EU state aids clearance;
• emergency services – air ambulance, search and rescue;
• public services – police, fire, customs, any flights that may involve the
aerial application of fire suppressing retardant, humanitarian relief flights;
• training flights – flights specifically used to gain a pilot’s licence and not to maintain flight skills, where there may be multiple take-offs




Am I missing something here?

[horizon flyer]

I can see this reducing the number of transfer flights through the UK and reducing the size of UK airlines. May take away the need for a third runway at Heathrow as well. Sounds like normal joined up goverment thinking.

Typical of a labour goverment tax & tax, then piss it up a wall on wast of time pet projects.

[Supersport]

I can see it reducing Aviation in the UK as a whole... The Government keep pushing the 'Climate Change' and 'Enviromental Change' thing... its about time that they realised that CHANGE IS INEVITABLE even if everyone in the entire world all of a sudden decided to scrap everything which burns combustibles and emits CO2, CHANGE WILL STILL BE INEVITABLE. LIFE cannot be maintained or contained!

They ask a lot of questions in their 'consultation' when do we get to ask questions? One question I'd like to ask is how the Government plan to use the millions of £'s in TAX raised by Aviation Duty to combat so called 'Climate Change', are they going to plant some more trees? Takes the p1ss, consultation my a*se, I'm fed up of this country and the now GLORIFIED DEMOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP of a GOVERNMENT that runs it.

/rant

Sorry about that :rolleyes:

[poss]

Taxing us more isn't going to stop us flying.
If they actually took a look at the facts and figures of aviations contribution to pollution then they might realise we aren't large contributers. The fact is though, aviation is an easy thing to target, many people will support the government because they listen to what the media has to say and would basically believe anything. Then you've got the guys that live near the airports that don't like aviation either. We aren't on a winning team to be honest and I feel like the country is slowly but surely stamping GA out.
Take mode S for instance. Future plans with that - probably airspace tax. It's getting stupid. Soon only the rich will be able to fly or the poor the poorer to fly less.
I think your rant is justified supersport.
:ugh:

[Captain Smithy]

horison flyer said in part... "I can see this reducing the number of transfer flights through the UK and reducing the size of UK airlines."

Yes, so can I, after all that is the whole point of the exercise. The whole point is to make aviation so unbearably expensive that we all jack it in because we can't afford it... and so stop Carbon emissions and therefore "save the world". :rolleyes:

Supersport - Sadly I cannot help but fully agree with your post.

Aviation is a freedom, and is therefore hated, like other freedoms such as private motoring and other forms of travel.

Environmentalists hate it because they think it is "killing the world". Left-wingers hate it because it doesn't fit in with their utopian ideal of a Communist republic where everyone is the same - i.e. poor and oppressed. NIMBYs hate it because it's "too noisy". Safety freaks hate it because it's too free and is therefore "dangerous". Politicians hate it because it's a freedom, and for any of the other reasons above. However, Politicians also love it because it is a cash cow.

The question I challenge to all PPRuNE posters is this: Instead of sitting and doing nothing, what are we going to do about it? How can we defend our hobby/interest/career (delete as applicable) from such idiocy?

Ideas anyone?

Smithy.

[Pudnucker]

Instead of moaning here, it's best to spend the time writing to your MP etc. Not that it will make any f*cking difference - look at the vote on having a referendum on europe. Democracy is dead in this country... The labour government are a bunch of T*ssers. The more they piss off the creative people who employ people, run companies and fly, the quicker we'll all leave - that'll screw their "Tax and spend" plans as there won't be anyone left worthwhile taxing..

Its about time we stopped being apathetic and actually start objecting..:\

gggggfrrrrrrr!!!!

[Supersport]

I've written several letters to my MP... never had a reply... hows that for a democracy. :\

The only other thing 'we' can do with the least risk of getting arrested is a proper protest... but then we'll be probably branded as hooligans.

Democracy dead indeed :\