Maybe the End of Tax Free Sector Pay in UK?

[Teroc]

So the UK Inland Revenue are conducting an in-depth review in relation to tax free sector pay in the Aviation industry. The previous arrangements agreed before are under review.

So Do you reckon in the current climate your airline will take the hit without passing it onto you ?

[goeasy]

You have got to be joking!! Companies already say YOUR taxation level is none of their business......

[wobble2plank]

Both guns blazing with a tidbit title that doesn't bear any resemblance to the truth

The review is of the PERSONAL taxation level as applied to expenses paid to both flight crew and cabin crew whilst down route. Currently the HMRC taxes down route subsidies at 18% as this money is to be spent in foreign countries for food, drinks, taxis etc.

It has been reviewed many times before and many airlines have had to do it at the INDIVIDUAL level. Nothing whatsoever to do with the airline 'taking a hit'.

Good journolistic title though

[757_Driver]

The IR are currently 'investigating' our airline and have requested receipts for our expenses, but over a ludicrously short period, during which we were incredibly disrupted, so keeping receipts and going out for meals was the last thing on most peoples mind.
No-one ever said the revenue had to be fair though!

I understand that under That evil, evil man in no11 and now no10, the revenune have been tasked with stealing as much cash as possilbe from us all, but this one i cannot understand, as the net effect to the revenue is not likely to change that much - either they give us a blanket tax free amount for allowances or they deal with 10,000 tax returns at the end of the year, and give us a tax rebate then. I thought the whole point of the current agreement was to reach a pragmatic arrangement to save everyone the aggro.

Of course it could also be a piece of lefty bullpoo - why should we get allowances when all the teachers, civil servants, mp's, police etc don't? oh wait, they do -they all get huge tax free benefits in kind.
Now I'm confused!

[lexoncd]

tax free sector pay and allowances will surely go for those crews operating in the short haul quick turnaround multiple sectors.

If you have a twenty minute turn around how can you use your allowances.

Make no mistake they are looking at all forms of raining revenue. Concession arrangements were looked at in other industries. Do car dealers receive a discount on a new car? Any difference when an standby seat remains unsold and therefore has no commercial value.

[Mungo Man]

If you have a twenty minute turn around how can you use your allowances.

You just buy a heap of food on the way to the airport and eat it when you can during the day.

[xwindflirt]

I still remember only a few years ago, when Gordon Brown stood up in Question time and his response to a question regarding pilots and traininf was that we are in an elitest profession and do not need any rebates in taxes or training costs.

[Right Way Up]

that we are in an elitest profession

In hindsight I probably should have claimed for expenses instead!

[rubik101]

This subject has reared it's ugly head with monotonous regularity over the last 30 years or more.
Many years ago, when Pontius was my captain, each individual kept a record of each flight. To include such details as the destination, the date and times we took off, left the UK, landed, took off, re-entered the UK and then landed etc.
Every April, 8,000 or so individuals then sent in their Tax returns and 8,000 claims were processed, resulting in a refund every year of several hundred pounds.
The IR, urged by some bean counters in their midst, realised that this was a very inefficient way of dealing with the subject of tax on flight pay/allowances. The current blanket, one size fits all, system was adopted some years ago and if reinventing the wheel is the purpose of the exercise then I can't see any great changes coming about.
If they arbitrarily lower the threshold, so raising the tax burden, then we are all within our rights to submit an individual tax return, every year, for as long as you remain working. When the now 10,000 claims hit the IR desks, with only a couple of clerks to deal with the processing, it won't be long before they revert to the present system.
If we do have to revert to the laborious system outlined above, believe me, it is time consuming and tedious but in the long run, fairer to the individual.

[Dairn]

Reference post number 6, you have to spend it between report time and off duty, so buying on the way to work won't work, unless you're late!

[Beavis and Butthead]

we are in an elitest profession and do not need any rebates in taxes or training costs.

Ahh yes ... his great comment to people busting their financial back to learn to fly planes for his faltering economy. The days are surely numbered on tax free flight allowances.

[speed freek]

Is it just me or is Labour going out if it's way to pi$$ off as many people as possible? Bit like next year's new road tax system. What's next? Probably get taxed by the number of times we flush the toilet per day. Better lay off the curry!

[tristar500]

I have a few friends already suggesting this WILL happen (from their Birdseed Airways point of view)

Yet another stealth tax. Why change it now... The aviation industry is already showing signs of a slowdown due to the 'fuel' costs - another conspiracy for another thread for another time... As well as a host of other issues.

Peolpe will just not want to become cabincrew. The money isnt all that great in general, considering unsociable hours, time away from home and possible health risks from continual flying over the years...

What next... I dread to think

[Abusing_the_sky]

Hold on a sec...

Why again is this happening??? Because some dichead who just got a promotion due to numerous years of a$$ kissing wants to kiss some more a$$ and comes up with this ridiculous idea?
So if i am going to somewhere let's say in Spain, flying out of EMA, i am in British airspace for roughly 35 minutes, then i'm in BREST....out of UK airspace! Usually the flight time to let's say MJV is 2 hrs 35 mins still air - which gives me 2hrs tax free...
If they DO want to tax me, tax me for the working minutes (35) within the British airspace. I refuse to actually PAY TO WORK!!!! Tax the pax for going on holiday, will ya? Cause you don't tax them enough for using APT's facilities such as breathing the APT's air...
I am furious and going mad when it comes to this tax thing. I work my butt off 12-14 hrs a day to make someone's day/trip/holiday better and safer. Cause i love my job! Tax me for loving my job you small minded money grabing *****


Rgds,
A very angry AST

[chrisbl]

There are only two things certain in life, death and taxes.

I suppose all the pax going off on their trips have not paid their income taxes?

Be careful what you ask for.

[hapzim]

With ref to Dairn's post " Reference post number 6, you have to spend it between report time and off duty, so buying on the way to work won't work, unless you're late! " try finding some where near to the gate on a 60 min let alone 25 min turnaround and get all the preflight/refuel and safety related duties done plus disembarking and boarding pax(busiest part of the day for us) that allows you to buy proper food on a 4 sector + day. Runs of 5 or 6 days on with min rest between watch the NHS bill go up.

Or maybe we will just have to call in a a convenient airfield en route just like the M way service station. Take all the pax on a business lunch and claim that. Oh to be a MP and not even have to have a receipt for less than £250.00

[Machine Man]

I am apolitical, but you pillocks who voted this bunch in knew you would have to pay more tax. History proves this! If you voted Labour, don't be wingeing now..........pillocks!

[sky9]

So how about when you reach your destination shut down the aircraft and go and have a meal in the terminal being careful to collect a receipt (or a larger one if you can find it on the floor).
Once 2 hr turnrounds become the norm sufficient pressure will be placed on the IR to backtrack.

Alternatively you could call yourself Captain Speaking MP, that would keep them off your backs.

[F14]

Just buy on board, get the crew to write out the receipt. Buy as much as you like!!!!! I need at least a 2 coffee's a sector and a sandwich a muffin. On FR could easily produce 30 quid a day in receipts

[6chimes]

Well if the IR do decide to tax us to the hilt it will be up to us if it actually goes ahead. We have the ultimate power here, a/c need pilots and crew, if we choose to stay at home on the same day and ground every plane in the UK I think that might get the point across. Not to mention the impact on the economy.

We can discuss this, save our receipts, jump through all the hoops asked of us and all we are actually achieving is showing the taxman how much of our wages we are spending in foreign countries, so the little bean counter will want that cash kept in the UK and he can only do that by taxing us.

Personally I think we should take a lead from workers in Europe and when the taxman does come a calling we just say NO.

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