$55 for "processing"

[mellow_pilot]

Is it jsut me or is some a$$hole making waaaayyy too much for rubber-stamping medicals?

Assuming you can look at, stamp, and file 1 paper every 5 min...

You stand to make: $660/hr, $26 400/week, $290 400/year.
includes 20 days vacation.

68 932 pilots total in Canada, avg 1 med/year = $3 791 260
Even if you knock it down to 1 med/2yrs it's still over $1.89M

I don't know about you guys, but they better start using vaseline on me, I'm gettin a bit raw back there...

[tom]

i contact them once, they tell me it is for the adminitration fee
i said: What you administrate for 55 $, i can't have any answer.

TC = Priceless

[teacher]

It USED to be for the new medical they sent out but when they changed the format to the 4 stamps on the back they kept the fee. THEY are the ones getting the 4 for the price of 1.

[Navajo-dude]

Has anyone refused to pay, and if so, what happened?

[magellan]

If you dont pay they take the money off your tax return, if you are getting any back from the govt.

[talkinghead]

Thats easy, the gov has got that one all figured out. They just take it off your income-tax return (if you have one)

[talkinghead]

magellan,

thats funny

[CLguy]

I'm the one who voted NO just so the poll wouldn't be so lopsided. Man, I just wish they would give me a kiss now and again to help ease the pain!

[Cat Driver]

I owe them $750.00 according to the last notice they sent me, I use it to start the fire in the stove at the airport.

I just send them back a notice that they can consider it a tiny intrest on the money they owe me.

I'm so happy to be out of that cesspool you poor bastards have to work under I'm delirious.

So keep the lube handy troops, they are going to shaft you more every day.

Cat

[Axial Flow]

I owe for the past three years and this year after I got my medical they finally sent me the amount owing. They have done that before but never took it off my income tax or GST cheque and the balance just grew. But my roomate owed for one year and they took it off his GST cheque immediatlely. I can see when they used to have to reissue the piece of paper but 55 bucks for absolutely nothing ?

[Bugz]

Every year I paid the "screw over" fee by VISA through the automated phone system. Just got an invoice saying I didn't pay for 2 years and one year was already taken off my income tax return. When I told them I already paid over the phone, they admitted that the phone system sometimes screws up and doesn't keep record of payment, although it does take the payment!!! Fortunatley for me I have 2 options, let them take it off my tax refund again, or send in a cheque. I'm so lucky to have choices!!

[Right Seat Captain]

For the 5 years I've had the Category 1 medical, the first year I paid the $55 fee. The second year they took it off my income tax return, and for the past three years they have been sending me a bill for each medical that I had, stating that if I don't pay, it will be referred to Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, although they haven't yet. A couple of months ago, they sent me an invoice of all three fees that I owe.

[MaximumSausage]

I only paid the first year it started and then never paid again. I also forgot to file taxes for a few years, until this year. Then when I filed tax returns for 6 years all at once.....they were waiting in the bushes for me. I didn't mind since I still recieved a check from the taxation departement with many 0's in it.

[R2000/1830]

TC is a government organization that is run with tax payers money, I would like to know exactly what the $55 is for but if they did not collect it they would just asks the feds for more money in the next budget. Then the feds would raise taxs or cut programs. So I rather give my money directly to TC then pay more taxs and have the feds collect $100 from me to give $55 to TC.

[altiplano]

I haven't paid for 3 years... They keep sending notices about taking it off my tax return, but the jokes on them... I haven't filed a return in 4 years!

I found this interesting, a notice from TC's web site from when they reduced the processing fees. I've only ever been billed $55 but I guess some guys really got the shaft before they changed it over... Check out the revenue vs cost of program. $2.5million vs. $2.95million. How the @#$! does it cost $2.95million to rubber stamp this BS?

Benefits and Costs

The annual revenues from the current set of 14 fees for processing pilot medical certificates is estimated at $3.0 million. This amendment will result in revenues from the same pilot community of approximately $2.5 million, an annual reduction of approximately $0.5 million. Thus, pilots currently paying the medical certificate fees will enjoy a reduction ranging from nil (for those currently paying $55) to $130 (for those currently subject to the highest fee of $185). The total cost of processing medical certificates (excluding the publication costs which are expected to be significantly reduced over the coming year) is approximately $2.95 million annually. This amendment will result in an overall cost recovery level of about 85%.

Fees transfer costs from the general taxpayer to those individuals or organizations who directly benefit from the provision of the services concerned. This amendment will not add any new costs to the pilots. In fact, for many pilots, it will reduce the medical certificate fees currently paid. No increase in the medical certificate fee will be faced by any pilot.

In addition to savings to be realized by many pilots, this amendment will also eliminate much of the confusion surrounding the current fee structure, especially for those pilots who hold multiple licences or permits with varying and overlapping validity periods. This consolidation of the fee structure will also greatly improve the processing of the fees, including the invoicing and collection activities, as there will be less manual intervention needed to explain the complex situation of fees and credits created by multiple licences and different validity periods.

The whole article is here:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/RegSe ... 2-104R.htm

[trey kule]

Gee. there reducing the fees. Thanks mucho to all those who refused to pay. When it costs them more to collect the money and they cant charge any more we get a reduction (govt fee 101).

Funny, how no one mentioned that when they cant tax, they change the name to fee, trot out the user pay, and the lambs open their wallets.

Thanks again to all who didnt pay.

[CD]

Actually, if you follow the link, that clip is from the change to the fee structure that took place back in 2000.

Mind you, if that change was a result of the folks not paying the $185 (yikes ), then I too thank you.