Peter wrote:
The IOM has no Benefit in Kind
I’m not so sure about that – I’m certain my tax return form has a “benefit in kind” part on it that I have to fill out if I receive any benefits in kind.
Some unanswered questions above about Timothy’s T7-reg being supposedly great, but I have got some info on the other stuff from someone closer to this topic…
The Jersey registry failed apparently because they were dragging their heels relative to Guernsey and they could not get their act together. Jersey and Guernsey are enemies and would sink each other’s islands if they could 
The Guernsey and IOM registries are a moving topic right now, however. When Guernsey set up, they managed to pull off a great package of concessions from the UK CAA (whose ICAO seat they all use) which allowed them to mix and match licensing and maintenance requirements. IOM started off well too but soon the CAA put a stop to much of it (e.g. maintenance now has to be Part M) and the IOM has been very upset about this and is demanding equal treatment. This may go to legal action, which could result in IOM getting back to the good old days, or it could result in Guernsey getting its wings clipped to match IOM’s. The latter would seriously bugger up the 2-reg crowd, obviously… so it would be foolish to go 2-reg at present, with so much in a state of flux, and then there is Brexit too.
One interesting thing I heard is that you can go N-reg to 2-reg without doing an Export CofA, which is super because it avoids having to dig out an FAA DAR.
Peter wrote:
One interesting thing I heard is that you can go N-reg to 2-reg without doing an Export CofA, which is super because it avoids having to dig out an FAA DAR
Does the FAA know the plane has moved to a different register? If not, it would be very useful if you decided to go back to N-reg… you’d just repaint the old numbers
Silvaire wrote:
Does the FAA know the plane has moved to a different register? If not, it would be very useful if you decided to go back to N-reg… you’d just repaint the old numbers
You still have to deregister it and show that to Guernsey. It just means that Guernsey doesn’t require an export CofA.
I know lots of people on the IoM reguster and they are very happy with it. Guernsey does well as it allows smaller aircraft than the IOM (for non residents)
Quoting Peter:
The latter would seriously bugger up the 2-reg crowd, obviously… so it would be foolish to go 2-reg at present, with so much in a state of flux, and then there is Brexit too.
You’re missing the biggest advantage of the 2- registry, which is the clever call signs you can come up with. 2-SEXY or 2-FAST are hard to replicate on N reg. Worth at least 10k a year to the right person. :)
The IOM register carries on despite being (relatively) crippled in recent years because they don’t allow small planes, and the big expensive stuff runs on maintenance programmes anyway so forcing Part M doesn’t have much of an effect. For say a TB20 there would be virtually no point in going M-reg… perhaps only for shielding the asset from public eyes (G-INFO is open) and not needing an N-reg trustee to own it.
An Export CofA is a farce which does little except feed money to whoever is required to do it. Technically, AIUI, it certifies that the aircraft currently complies with the previous registry’s airworthiness requirements, and it is standard practice in aviation to require this certification to accept the aircraft onto a new registry. It sort of “draws a line” under all modifications that were done previously. But if the accepting registry is not bothered, why should they do it? The practical meaning is minimal. Just like you can be unfaithful 5 minutes after getting married, an aircraft can become unairworthy 5 minutes after it was imported.
Peter wrote:
perhaps only for shielding the asset from public eyes (G-INFO is open)
So is the M-register. Doesn’t have a fancy website though, you can openly download the CSV file.
Sorry, I missed the T7 question.
We did not go T7 for tax evasion/avoidance, we used it for various perceived STC and licensing benefits.
The M reg has 1000 aircraft on it, mainly bizjets so it’s not exactly crippled. It never wanted small GA aircraft apart from those they are obliged to accept from IOM residents. The “edge” the M reg has is to do with tax and VAT which becomes big numbers with expensive aircraft.
The BBC Panorama program about the Paradise Papers stolen from Panama did its best to damage the M reg through its treatment of VAT. The U.K. VAT office has been invited into the island to check it out and is due to report soon. Seeing as the UK has constant oversight of the Isle of Man’s VAT, as they are both in a common purse, it’s unlikely the Island is doing anything wrong but time will tell. So, assuming all is OK with the VAT treatment, this edge still exists. the only fall out I know of from the program is Lewis Hamilton has moved his jet from M to the Austrian register. What advantage that move has is not clear, mainly political I’d guess.
The 2 reg in Guernsey came later to the party. Guernsey is not in the UK VAT common purse so I have no idea how they treat the VAT side of importation. I believe the laws on aviation are written differently in Guernsey which is why they have been able to be more flexible than the Isle of Man who I think adopt UK aviation law. I know there are moves here in the Isle of Man to address the laws locally to level the playing field with Guernsey in areas such as maintenance, licensing and AOC operation. Guernsey seem happy to accept smaller GA aircraft maybe forced down that road because the M reg attracts the big metal.
T7 I know nothing about other than seeing a Cirrus on T7 at Gloucester.
we used it for various perceived STC and licensing benefits.
Would you be able to expand on them, @Timothy?
I recall only one poster on EuroGA who was on T7, an Italian with an SR22, but he’s since gone to ultralights. Also the opinion of one aviation VAT specialist was that while he believed T7 being worthless for VAT purposes, he said it would probably work for an Italian.
The 2 reg in Guernsey came later to the party. Guernsey is not in the UK VAT common purse so I have no idea how they treat the VAT side of importation
Some people got busted for VAT on a plane which lived in the Channel Islands for a while, for exactly this reason. It is like spending time in say the USA.
Does anyone know if the 2-reg can be used for an N-reg plane which is then flown by
