Pilot and Aircraft registration fee's. Illinois Department Of Transportation

[1600vw]

I received a letter stating starting Jan. 1st 2017 airplanes and pilots must pay a registration fee. The aircraft registration fee's need to be paid every two yeas.

How Often Should I Register and What is the fee:

Registration is for a two year calendar cycle. Each cycle begins Jan. 1st on all even years and expires Dec. 31st of the following odd year. Renewal notices are mailed in Oct. prior to the start of the next cycle. When registering within the first year of the cycle the fee is $20.00. Registering in the second year of the cycle the fee is $10.00. Checks made payable to the State Treasurer of Illinois.

Do all states charge these taxes? They even state in this if you own an ultralight you must pay these taxes. In order to receive the benefits of registration. What Fing benefits are they talking about. The safety Seminars? Wings Program Maintenance Seminars, Ultralight and Light sport Seminars, One-night safety Seminar. This is what they say this money is for. Seems like we already pay taxes for these things in one way or the other.

Why do I feel like I am being robbed by the state of Illinois?

Tony

[DaleB]

Why do I feel like I am being robbed by the state of Illinois?
Because you are?

No such registration in Nebraska, and no property tax on non-commercial aircraft. They wanted sales tax when I bought it, no surprise there. Other than that I pay zip to the State of NE. Heck, I can even file for a refund of gasoline tax on the mogas I buy to put in it.

Note: The fact the NE does not tax or register private aircraft is a little incredible to me, by the way. I'm sure it's an oversight. They'd probably tax my oxygen use if they had thought of it. MO is the "Show Me" state, NE is usually the "Tax Me" state.

[Auburntsts]

In Virginia it's an annual $5 fee.

[skyfixer8]

$.01 per pound gross weight in Michigan

[rwanttaja]

Washington state varies by aircraft type, but homebuilts are flat-rated at $35/year. In addition, we have to pay a "Use Tax" when we buy/build an airplane (equivalent to sales tax).

Ron Wanttaja

[Joey4420]

Ohio is $15 per seat per year.

[Bill Berson]

Usually no tax if you declare it "Unairworthy.

[Mike Switzer]

I received a letter stating starting Jan. 1st 2017 airplanes and pilots must pay a registration fee. The aircraft registration fee's need to be paid every two yeas.

Huh?? Starting Jan 2017?? Illinois has had these fees paid every 2 years for as long as I have been flying.

[CarlOrton]

No fees, no taxes (except sales tax) in Texas.

[Dave Stadt]

You get an outstanding newsletter a couple of times a year that is only 6 months out of date. These fees have been in place for decades. Used to be you had to put a sticker on your aircraft, an opportunity which most ignored. In case you haven't noticed, IL is worse than broke. You are aware of the 6.25% sales tax. If you owe it, pay it, as the state might not request it until after penalties have been assessed.

[jrb2]

Just so I understand, if I am a pilot, but don't own an airplane, I still owe this fee. They don't issue my license, so what recourse do they have if I don't pay?

[1600vw]

First I never said i did not pay this or will not.


6424 6425

[Bill Berson]

Is your aircraft airworthy? Or in a condition for safe flight.

[CarlOrton]

Wow.... having to register if you have an airman certificate, but no plane. I am at a loss WRT snarky comments on this one....

[Mike Switzer]

If you are an inactive pilot, or don't fly in the state, you don't have to pay. If you do fly in the State of Illinois & don't pay the fee there is a fine &/or imprisonment if they catch you. If you are recording flight time in your logbook & aren't paying the fee you may have a problem if they find out.

[1600vw]

If you are an inactive pilot, or don't fly in the state, you don't have to pay. If you do fly in the State of Illinois & don't pay the fee there is a fine &/or imprisonment if they catch you. If you are recording flight time in your logbook & aren't paying the fee you may have a problem if they find out.

This posting really was not about avoiding paying this tax, but about the tax itself. I am not sure how you came up with or concluded this post was about avoiding this tax?

[Mike Switzer]

This posting really was not about avoiding paying this tax, but about the tax itself. I am not sure how you came up with or concluded this post was about avoiding this tax?

I was replying to the other questions posted about enforcement & penalties

[1600vw]

I was replying to the other questions posted about enforcement & penalties


Just so I understand, if I am a pilot, but don't own an airplane, I still owe this fee. They don't issue my license, so what recourse do they have if I don't pay?

I missed that posting, sorry.

Tony

[Cary]

Illinois has had this charge on its books for eons. That it's directed at licensed pilots is what makes it unusual. For the amount involved, though, few complain about it and just pay it.

Many states have fees charged to aircraft owners, though. You've heard from several. FWIW, neither Colorado nor Wyoming, the two states I'm most familiar with, have any such fees. Both have sales (or "use") taxes that are incurred when an airplane is purchased, but no other fees.

Cary

[1600vw]

Illinois has had this charge on its books for eons. That it's directed at licensed pilots is what makes it unusual. For the amount involved, though, few complain about it and just pay it.

Many states have fees charged to aircraft owners, though. You've heard from several. FWIW, neither Colorado nor Wyoming, the two states I'm most familiar with, have any such fees. Both have sales (or "use") taxes that are incurred when an airplane is purchased, but no other fees.

Cary

Oh Illinois has those too when you buy an airplane new or used you pay Illinois tax on said purchase.

[nrpetersen]

Minnesota had such a license fee many years (like 45+) ago and then dropped it when there was some ruling that said there was no legitimate reason for them to be charging such a fee for a federal certificate.

[1600vw]

Minnesota had such a license fee many years (like 45+) ago and then dropped it when there was some ruling that said there was no legitimate reason for them to be charging such a fee for a federal certificate.

I would think Illinois could not charge this either on a federal Certificate. I am surprised that after all these years doing this someone has not complained about this. I guess with the state of affairs in Illinois they will be pushing these taxes for revenue.

I am sure if they privatize aviation in America we will see more of this in other area's across the country. But as you see others already pay something like this.

[L16 Pilot]

Really the question needs to be asked "What am I getting in return for the fee or is it just to raise revenue for someone to sit on their can and think up ways to make my life more difficult"? Having spent 30+ years in education I can tell you that happens every time they hire a new administrator and especially one with a PhD.

[1600vw]

Really the question needs to be asked "What am I getting in return for the fee or is it just to raise revenue for someone to sit on their can and think up ways to make my life more difficult"? Having spent 30+ years in education I can tell you that happens every time they hire a new administrator and especially one with a PhD.

They say we get the safety programs and a few other things. It's laid out in that pamphlet I posted. Sorry it looks as it does. This was folded into three sections. I just opened it and scanned it. I am to lazy to scan each side. Much easier to open and scan.

[dclaxon]

Illinois has had this charge on its books for eons. That it's directed at licensed pilots is what makes it unusual.

Cary

Illinois has had 2 registration fees to be paid every 2 years, one for the pilot's license and one for the aircraft. I believe it was $10 for the license and $20 for the plane. What is changing in 2017 is that the fee for the license registration is going up to $20, but it will be a one-time fee, and will no longer need to be renewed every 2 years.
Dave

[martymayes]

Huh?? Starting Jan 2017?? Illinois has had these fees paid every 2 years for as long as I have been flying.

For airplanes and pilots? I think I would tell them to pound sand on the pilot fee thingy...........

[Mike Switzer]

For airplanes and pilots? I think I would tell them to pound sand on the pilot fee thingy...........

I haven't flown for almost 3 years & probably won't again until my niece graduates in 2019 so I won't pay it this time around. (Too busy to fly enough to stay current)

It used to be worth it, for your $10 2 year fee you got a state aviation map & an airport directory every year, plus a newsletter every 2 months & safety seminars, etc fairly regularly at local airports. We haven't gotten the map or directory for probably 20 years & the newsletter is down to a 2 page mailer twice a year, and if there have been safety seminars they weren't anywhere around here.

[martymayes]

So if you tell them you do not "air navigate" in Illinois, there is no fee.......

[Mike Switzer]

So if you tell them you do not "air navigate" in Illinois, there is no fee.......

Yep. And in the event I happen to go along with someone else I won't be legal PIC. (no current medical either, I was waiting to see what happened with the drivers license medical)

[Marc Zeitlin]

So if you tell them you do not "air navigate" in Illinois, there is no fee.......This whole discussion reminds me of when I lived in MA and went to town meetings regularly. The town I lived in had a budget of about $25M/yr., IIRC. Schools were maybe $18M of that, and town services most of the rest. At the yearly town meeting, we'd spend about two hours looking at presentations about the school budget, and then vote to approve it. We'd then spend another hour discussing Police and Fire (most of what was left over), vote for that, and then we'd argue for about 4 days about whether we should build a $600 shed behind the fire house, and whether it should really be able to be built for $460, or if the $600 was a reasonable cost, and who's brother-in-law could get the materials for $75 less, and whether it should have asphalt or tile shingles on the roof.

$10 is what - 1.6 coffees at Starbucks? Sheesh. Yeah, I know it's the principle of the thing - where's my map and directory - but there seem to be a lot larger issues of principle to deal with at this point in time, no? Bigger fish to fry? People are funny (myself included)...

[martymayes]

I dunno, I don't drink coffee and if I did I certainly wouldn't buy it at Starbucks. The bottom line is if they actively enforce this, they are spending dollars to collect dimes. Govt's are funny too.

[Marc Zeitlin]

I dunno, I don't drink coffee and if I did I certainly wouldn't buy it at Starbucks. The bottom line is if they actively enforce this, they are spending dollars to collect dimes. Govt's are funny too.Oh, yeah. I landed at Brookhaven airport on Long Island to drop off my nephew. Two months later I get a letter from them in the mail - first class postage - demanding a $1 landing fee. Yep - $1. They spent $0.44 in postage, plus the time it took to create the invoice, put it on a piece of paper and mail it to me, then get me to spend $0.44 to send them a CHECK for $1, which they'd then have to take time to cash. I sent them a letter with the $1 telling them that they were completely insane. Obviously THAT changed everything, and they fixed the policy... Santa Monica (yeah, that one, where the city's trying to close the airport constantly) had something similar - every time I'd land there, I'd get a letter asking for $3 or something stupid. I called and talked to the nice woman at the airport office and she just sighed when I told her that was brain damaged and it cost more than $3 for them to collect the $3. She agreed and said "yeah, that's our policy".

I'm sure there are an infinite # of those types of stories, both about governments and private businesses. I've got stories about how HP did Activity Based Costing that would make you pull your hair out...

[Mike Switzer]

The state of Illinois & a locally based company spent thousands (maybe millions) in legal fees on both sides arguing in court over sales tax on aircraft that were owned by & being leased from Cessna, & whether or not the global company was using the aircraft in interstate commerce (which would make them exempt from the state tax). I don't know how that ever turned out, it went on for years. The local county is billing aircraft owners for property tax on their leased hangars, which are owned by the local park district (which owns the airport). The park district, the airport, & their legal counsel maintain that the property tax is not due as district owned property is exempt. That went to court a few times also.