"John Slee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >From my reading of forums and newsgroups, I would say that > because of > >the rate of increase in licence fees, there is a long term > decline in > >the number of long term enthusiastic boaters.
Adrian Stott commented: > Actually, there have never in history been more boats on the > British waterways. It is clear from various pronouncements > that the government's view is that there is thus room for > substantial increases in navigation charges. There's no inconsistency between these views. Fewer enthusiastic boaters, but more boats (and therefore more less-enthusiastic boaters). That's why all the new marinas are filling up with boats which hardly ever move. We should be glad. They're the ones whose payments are providing the bulk of BW's licence income (and via BW's levy on marinas, some of their mooring income). How high would the licence/mooring fees have to be if those owners spent their money on something else? David Mack
