I have written the below to my MP, two days ago, who has said that he will now raise this with the Home Office. Could I please urge other SD members and indeed ask if BASC will lobby their Parliamentary cohort as I will also be asking the CPSA to do.
Where are the principles of full cost recovery fees being operated for the Pedlars' Licence?
The attachment:
The letter:
You will know that from past conversation that I shoot and hold both a Firearms Certificate and a Shotgun Certificate. My invitation to visit Normanton Shooting Ground with me still stands. The fees for these certificates have recently been greatly increased. I am aware that similar increases of Home Office fee levels have been done to some £1600 and £1200 respectively for an adult and an under eighteen to apply for naturalisation as British citizens.
I am therefore puzzled, much puzzled in fact, to understand why the Home Office set fee for the grant of a Pedlars' Certificate remains at the £12.25 that was set by then Home Secretary Douglas Hurd in 1985. Being lifted from its 1983 price of £10.50 to that 1985 £12.25 which it still remains at now forty years later! See the attachment to this email.
Is this not unfair on the two cohorts above that their fees payable have increased but not these Pedlars' Certificate fees?
Using the Bank of England's own online Inflation Calculator engine suggests a modern figure would be some £35 and, of course, that is based on their inflation index "engine" and not on any model based on actual policing time costs.
One cannot help by feel that there is one Home Office rule for the shooting community and for those lawful qualifying UK foreign residents who wish to seek citizenship and another rule for commercial street vendors who are no more nor less in fact but independent entrepreneurs. Which business costs therefore should not be being subsidised by local ratepayers that fund local policing and/or others who pay fees set by the Home Office.
Could I ask therefore given that it has been promised by Minister Mr McFadden that income tax, VAT and National Insurance rates will not rise to pay for yesterday's planned welfare legislation that the Home Secretary be asked why the Pedlars' Certificate remains at the same level as set in 1985?
Because by not raising it (and its fine for non-compliance) is this not local Council Tax payers and or national taxpayers massively subsidising these Pedlars' Certificates when their money will now be being called upon to cover the cost of the result of yesterday's proceedings.
I look forward to the Government's reply regarding this £12.25 remaining unchanged for now four decades.
Where are the principles of full cost recovery fees being operated for the Pedlars' Licence?
The attachment:
The letter:
You will know that from past conversation that I shoot and hold both a Firearms Certificate and a Shotgun Certificate. My invitation to visit Normanton Shooting Ground with me still stands. The fees for these certificates have recently been greatly increased. I am aware that similar increases of Home Office fee levels have been done to some £1600 and £1200 respectively for an adult and an under eighteen to apply for naturalisation as British citizens.
I am therefore puzzled, much puzzled in fact, to understand why the Home Office set fee for the grant of a Pedlars' Certificate remains at the £12.25 that was set by then Home Secretary Douglas Hurd in 1985. Being lifted from its 1983 price of £10.50 to that 1985 £12.25 which it still remains at now forty years later! See the attachment to this email.
Is this not unfair on the two cohorts above that their fees payable have increased but not these Pedlars' Certificate fees?
Using the Bank of England's own online Inflation Calculator engine suggests a modern figure would be some £35 and, of course, that is based on their inflation index "engine" and not on any model based on actual policing time costs.
One cannot help by feel that there is one Home Office rule for the shooting community and for those lawful qualifying UK foreign residents who wish to seek citizenship and another rule for commercial street vendors who are no more nor less in fact but independent entrepreneurs. Which business costs therefore should not be being subsidised by local ratepayers that fund local policing and/or others who pay fees set by the Home Office.
Could I ask therefore given that it has been promised by Minister Mr McFadden that income tax, VAT and National Insurance rates will not rise to pay for yesterday's planned welfare legislation that the Home Secretary be asked why the Pedlars' Certificate remains at the same level as set in 1985?
Because by not raising it (and its fine for non-compliance) is this not local Council Tax payers and or national taxpayers massively subsidising these Pedlars' Certificates when their money will now be being called upon to cover the cost of the result of yesterday's proceedings.
I look forward to the Government's reply regarding this £12.25 remaining unchanged for now four decades.
