Source: http://www.caa.gen.nz/2017/05/
Timestamp: 2018-03-22 15:20:22
Document Index: 731802750

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 115', 'art 121', 'art 135', 'art 137', 'art 121', 'art 115', 'art 121', 'art 135', 'art 137', 'art 121']

Archives for May 2017 | GAA
May 27, 2017 by the GAA team Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Consultation, Governance, Legal, Opinion, Overview
May 27, 2017 by Qwilton Biel Leave a Comment
By now, operators will have received a letter and information booklet from the CAA detailing the new safety levies that will take effect from 1 July 2017. These levies have been introduced despite efforts by a number of individuals and organisations to enlighten the CAA and Minister of Transport of the failings in the consultation process, as well as the inequities in the methodology adopted.
Immediate financial implications
The levies will be introduced across two financial years (2017-2018 and 2018-2019) with 50% of the full rate payable in the first year and 100% payable in the second year and beyond. For the purposes of analysis, this article is based upon the full levy rate payable and ignores the first year’s sugar-coated Trojan horse.
Certificated operators will no longer be charged at an hourly rate by the CAA for routine inspections and monitoring. They will instead be levied at varying rates as outlined in the following table:
Sector Full levy rate
Part 115 – Parachuting $1.60 per descent
Part 121/125 – Passenger Air Transport $5.50 per flight hour
Part 135 – Passenger Air Transport $6.50 per flight hour
Part 137 – Agricultural Operations 0-10,000 tonnes per annum $0.87 per tonne
10,000 – 50,000 tonnes per annum $0.73 per tonne
50,000+ tonnes per annum $0.65 per tonne
Part 121/125/129/135 –
Freight Only 0-10,000 tonnes per annum $3.00 per tonne
10,000 – 50,000 tonnes per annum $2.60 per tonne
50,000+ tonnes per annum $2.00 per tonne
Apply the above figures to your operation to determine how much you will pay the CAA under this new levies regime. Compare this to how much you currently pay annually for routine audits and this will tell you whether you are immediately better or worse off.
These are numerous. A couple of the more obvious consequences are the loss to industry of the mechanism whereby demonstrated safety performance was financially rewarded via an increased audit interval and a corresponding reduction in CAA charges; and the fact that in moving away from an hourly rate-based method of cost recovery, the CAA has skilfully managed to put itself in a position where its operating costs can’t easily be compared with other similar organisations or government agencies.
Of far more significance, however, is the fact that throughout the process of setting these levies, the CAA was very clear that its objective was to more closely match the revenue recovered from each sector of industry with the expenditure it incurs in regulating that sector. This all sounds very nice as a concept, but an analysis of the CAA’s current sector-by-sector costs and budgeted future expenditure shows what full cost recovery might look like, and the ramifications for commercial general aviation become immediately apparent:
Regulating commercial general aviation accounts for 23% of the CAA’s total expenditure.
The CAA’s budgeted total expenditure for FY2019 is $42.818m.
This means that the CAA’s expenditure on the regulation of commercial general aviation will be 23% of $42.818m, which equals $9.848m.
Deducted from this is the CAA’s projected revenue from other sources (for example, fees and hourly rate charges) of $1.637m, which leaves $8.211m to be recovered from commercial general aviation by way of levy.
Sector Historic percentage of total cost of commercial general aviation audit oversight Share of $8.211m to be recovered if 100% cost recovery principles applied Levy rate required to achieve 100% cost recovery
Part 115 – Parachuting 11.3% $927,843 $11.94 per descent
Part 121/125 – Passenger Air Transport 11.6% $ 952,476 $25.15 per flight hour
Part 135 – Passenger Air Transport 25.4% $ 2,085,594 $29.78 per flight hour
Part 137 – Agricultural Operations 34.7% $ 2,849,217 $3.99 per tonne
Part 121/125/129/135 – Freight Only 17.0% $ 1,395,870 $13.75 per tonne
TOTAL 100.0% $ 8,211,000
In terms of the way the Government sets fees and charges, there is nothing to prevent the CAA moving to a 100% cost recovery methodology. You will be able to assess the impact on your business, but it doesn’t take rocket science to also imagine the implications for the entire commercial general aviation sector.
Yes it can. Four avenues have so far been identified through which various aspects of this levy can be subjected to scrutiny. These range from the veracity of the consultation process, through to the selective targeting of the levy, its longer term implications, and compliance with government guidelines and the Civil Aviation Act itself.
This isn’t going to be an easy process. It will involve significant research and analysis coupled with engagement in the political arena to maximise the chances of success. Any such challenge needs to be mounted now, before the levies are cemented in place.
The estimated cost to mount a credible challenge will be around $20,000.
If you have any questions, or would like to support the effort to overturn this parasitic threat to the future livelihood of commercial general aviation, please contact Qwilton Biel.
Phone: (027) 493 5655
Email: qwilton [at] biel [dot] nz
Filed Under: Adventure, Agricultural, Consultation, Costs, Employment, Governance, Overview, Safety