pilotaryan
26th Mar 2013, 18:07
Germans raid Ryanair pilots | The Sunday Times (http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/ireland/article1234956.ece)
quidi seguito l'articolo completo scaricato da REPA:
Germans raid Ryanair pilots
Mark Tighe and Gabrielle Monaghan Published: 24 March 2013
http://www.thesunday...icle1234956.ece (http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/ireland/article1234956.ece)
THE homes of at least three Ryanair pilots based in Germany have been raided by authorities as part of an investigation into alleged non-payment of taxes.
The Sunday Times has obtained a copy of an official court ruling on one raid, carried out on behalf of the district attorney in Koblenz, a city on the Rhine. It states the pilot, a director of a company based in Cork, is under investigation for suspected non-payment of social insurance.
The pilot was frisked and investigators seized documents. These included a contract with Brookfield Aviation, a Ryanair contract, duty rosters and payslips.
Brookfield Aviation, a UK company, is the largest supplier of contract pilots to Ryanair. According to its 2011 annual report, 1,694 of Ryanair’s then 2,344 pilots (or 72%) were employed through agencies.
The German report states the seized documents may be used as evidence in a future court action. It says the pilot carried out 39.4% of his work out of the Frankfurt Hahn airport used by Ryanair. Under German law, employees who work at least 25% of their time in the country must pay social insurance there.
The pilot is recognised as a Ryanair employee under German law, according to the document, as he is not entitled to fly for another airline and has to obey Ryanair rules. Citing EU directives, the document asserts German social insurance applies to the pilot as his base airport was Frankfurt Hahn.
The German raids follow investigations by Irish and Italian tax authorities into Ryanair’s practice of using agency pilots paid through companies based in Ireland.
Last week Ryanair said it is “happy to confirm that all its people fully comply with Irish and EU tax legislation, which take precedence over German and Italian tax laws for people working on Irish territory (ie Irish-registered aircraft)”.
Balpa, the British pilots’ union, estimates HM Revenue & Customs misses out on £37m (€43.3m) a year in tax and national insurance payments from Ryanair’s UK-based agency pilots.
Agency pilots said their conditions of employment with Ryanair and Brookfield include a requirement to become directors of Irish companies.
The pilot raided by officials acting on the instructions of the Koblenz district attorney is a director of a company set up by Contracting Plus, a Cork company formerly known as CXC Consultants Exchange. At Contracting Plus last week, the phone was answered by Paul Heffernan, a team leader in its customer-support unit.
Heffernan is listed as a director of 32 companies based at Building 6500 in Cork Airport Business Park.
Some pilots claim a number of these companies were set up to receive pay for Ryanair work. Heffernan declined to comment on his work with Ryanair pilots.
quidi seguito l'articolo completo scaricato da REPA:
Germans raid Ryanair pilots
Mark Tighe and Gabrielle Monaghan Published: 24 March 2013
http://www.thesunday...icle1234956.ece (http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/ireland/article1234956.ece)
THE homes of at least three Ryanair pilots based in Germany have been raided by authorities as part of an investigation into alleged non-payment of taxes.
The Sunday Times has obtained a copy of an official court ruling on one raid, carried out on behalf of the district attorney in Koblenz, a city on the Rhine. It states the pilot, a director of a company based in Cork, is under investigation for suspected non-payment of social insurance.
The pilot was frisked and investigators seized documents. These included a contract with Brookfield Aviation, a Ryanair contract, duty rosters and payslips.
Brookfield Aviation, a UK company, is the largest supplier of contract pilots to Ryanair. According to its 2011 annual report, 1,694 of Ryanair’s then 2,344 pilots (or 72%) were employed through agencies.
The German report states the seized documents may be used as evidence in a future court action. It says the pilot carried out 39.4% of his work out of the Frankfurt Hahn airport used by Ryanair. Under German law, employees who work at least 25% of their time in the country must pay social insurance there.
The pilot is recognised as a Ryanair employee under German law, according to the document, as he is not entitled to fly for another airline and has to obey Ryanair rules. Citing EU directives, the document asserts German social insurance applies to the pilot as his base airport was Frankfurt Hahn.
The German raids follow investigations by Irish and Italian tax authorities into Ryanair’s practice of using agency pilots paid through companies based in Ireland.
Last week Ryanair said it is “happy to confirm that all its people fully comply with Irish and EU tax legislation, which take precedence over German and Italian tax laws for people working on Irish territory (ie Irish-registered aircraft)”.
Balpa, the British pilots’ union, estimates HM Revenue & Customs misses out on £37m (€43.3m) a year in tax and national insurance payments from Ryanair’s UK-based agency pilots.
Agency pilots said their conditions of employment with Ryanair and Brookfield include a requirement to become directors of Irish companies.
The pilot raided by officials acting on the instructions of the Koblenz district attorney is a director of a company set up by Contracting Plus, a Cork company formerly known as CXC Consultants Exchange. At Contracting Plus last week, the phone was answered by Paul Heffernan, a team leader in its customer-support unit.
Heffernan is listed as a director of 32 companies based at Building 6500 in Cork Airport Business Park.
Some pilots claim a number of these companies were set up to receive pay for Ryanair work. Heffernan declined to comment on his work with Ryanair pilots.