Registration Fees

I understand that UKA/EA registration fees will increase from £5 to £10 for road runners/endurance runners and from £5 to £20 for track and field athletes in April 2013 . This is a complete disgrace.

It is wrong for Government to increase this tax on runners and athletes. It is spineless for UKA/EA to give in to this Government blackmail.

Clubs must not act as tax collectors for Government. Races must give all club members a discount whether or not they are registered athletes. Club members should boycot all races that restrict discounts to registered members of EA,Scottish Athletics or Welsh Athletics 

If they don't tax you, how do you expect them to run their Bentleys? Have a heart!

Increasing tax on runners...it's a new low.

How is it a tax?  You don't have to pay it. 

And it doesn't go to the government, as far as I know.

Government blackmail? Tax on runners?

Are you getting several news stories mixed up here somewhere?

You only have to pay it if you want to run in championships, be eligible for selection for national teams and be eligible for discounts in certain races, and on some other stuff. Otherwise, don't bother. http://www.englandathletics.org/page.asp?section=444&sectionTitle=Athletes

Maybe true, maybe not Michael, but at least tell everybody you are drumming up support for the Association of Running Clubs or does that post come later?

Wilkie wrote (see)

How is it a tax?  You don't have to pay it. 

And it doesn't go to the government, as far as I know.

That's like saying increases on duty on cigs and booze aren't a tax, because you  aren't forced to have those.

Radicchio wrote (see)

Many will have no option but to pay this, as a majority of running clubs' membership fees include UKA membership, as they can't let you run uninsured. ??30 is a very different amount from ??20, and family memberships are going to go up very significantly.

It smacks of 'green' taxes: a good excuse to levy taxes, but none of that money ever goes to reducing the cost of public transport.

My club doesn't include the cost of being a competing member in the membership fee - not everyone wants to be a competing member.  Those who do pay the extra for it.

If your club DOES include it, and you don't want it to, then tell the club secretary so.  They may not want the admin of picking out those who do and those who don't, but should consider what the members want.

As for the insurance, that is 'purchased' with the CLUB's affiliation fee, not the individual competing members' fees, so all members are covered whether they are competing members or not.

Stupid question probably, but why do you need insurance to run for a club ???

It's all right Michael, your top rate of income tax is about to come down. You'll still be able to afford champagne.

Tommygun2 wrote (see)

Stupid question probably, but why do you need insurance to run for a club ???

As far as im aware, it's similar to that of golfers. If your average club golfer goes for a round of 18 holes one bright morning and slices one horribly off the tee that screams towards Cyril and his buddies on the green next door at a rate of knots and clonks one of them square on the bonce dropping him to the ground like a sack o tatties then you're gonna be in a bunker full of shit.

If the guy you've just took out decides to haul you before the courts then you're insured against it and the insurer pays out, not you.

Imagine it's a similar type of thing incase your running spikes tear down someone's themeral artery on a leisurely 10k run next time you're at a club meet.

It's third party insurance, so if you knock somebody over or similar when running on a club run, the ambulance chasers can chase UKA insurers. If you lose a limb/eye/head when running (I guess it happens), then you or your club would need personal accident insurance for a payout.

RunBritain groups are insured through the leader's qualification/permit.

Makes BTF membership look even better.  For that you get covered for running, swimming and cycling and it is completely optional and never associated with the club you may or may not chose to compete for.

-can't work out how this is a government tax

anyway even for those of us unwaged its not a hell of a lot of money.if the money is used by UKA to improve running for youngesters etc then whats the big deal....as Wilkie says.its not compulsory for runners

Its hard to find a race nowadays for much less than £10.so ist just like another race fee

UKA have their faults.  The main gripe being that the competitors get very little back for that fee.  But I can't say that I've seen anything in return from ARC either.  At least UKA sent me on a training course.