Adrian wrote: > BW's charges (except for moorings) are now well below the > market-clearing level, as evidenced by the continuing increase in the > number of boats. So, BW increases its navigation charges to the point > of maximum revenue. A number of current boaters will decide to take > up another hobby, but BW will still be ahead (fewer boats, but more > revenue from each on average). The waterways will be less crowded.
Up to a point Sir Humphrey! Unless BW kill *all* the present boat building industry in this country (and abroad) by raising the licence fee extortionately then the number of boats being put on the water will always exceed the numbers leaving to go abroad or being scrapped. As they will not, one hopes, be able to stifle/kill all the boat builders then, irrespective if they maintain the *present* licence fee, their income will rise according to the numbers coming on to the system, minus those leaving/being scrapped minus those (plenty) whose licences they cannot be bothered to enforce. If they continue to raise the licence fee then their finances will continue to rise at a rate that is governed by numbers launched minus boats going abroad/scrapped minus those whose licences thay can't be bothered to enforce multiplied by the licence fee increase for that year. Seems like a win win situation to me in that they can only *slow* their total revenue by licence increases. I doubt they'll be able to kill the increase all together by strangling the golden goose. Roger
