"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...
I"m not so worried about user fees directly. What I don't understand is
how in the world they will collect them. Do you read a credit card over
the radio before getting your approach clearance? You can't charge it
based on N number because renter pilots often go away after flying (and
paying) for the trips they intended. Will my Mooney partner and I have
to sit down and go through a statement, trying to figure out who was
flying when? Not to mention the entire giant building full of
accounting types who have to mange the system for the feds. I guess the
fuel tax is just too easy and doesn't create enough life-time jobs in
the gov't.

Here in the UK the answer is yes to just about all those questions apart
from giving your credit card details over the air before doing the approach.
I lodge mine with the airport before doing the approach. If I do the
approach they bill me if I don't they don't.

As a rule, VFR traffic is exempt charges except for nav and landing charges.
All our airports are privately owned and therefore charge for ATC and
landing.

IFR flights only charge for aircraft over 2 tonnes and then a bill is sent
to the registered owner operator who has to pay it and then get the money
back from whoever flew it. Of course the register also gives the registered
weight of the aircraft so they know what to charge.

There is talk of charging VFR flights but even the bureaucrats here cannot
come up with a simple way of charging. The current idea is a flat annual
licence fee evidenced by a sticker a bit like with a car licence.

We have no property taxes on aircraft like some of you have for just owning
the plane. We just pay $7 in taxes on each gallon. That's UK gallon.
Reduce by 20% for the baby US gallon.

Cannot be arsed to rework the numbers - we have fireworks going off here at
the moment, its like being in a war zone. Its impossible to concentrate.
Fireworks will be going all weekend.