Agree absolutely, Laura; it is utterly regressive.
Perhaps the CILIP page should have a balancing set of FAQs: "what are
the advantages of the present system?" Here are some rejoinders to the
answers currently presented:
Why does CILIP's subscription system need to change? Because the present
system is over-complicated:
[it's been in existence for decades - surely IT should make it easier to
administrate? And, it's complicated for perfectly valid reasons - who
says it's "over"-complicated?. Having a 3-year transition period - now
that does sound complicated]
, hits members particularly hard at Christmas time,
[erm - I don't want to be churlish, but if you pay the lot in one go,
it's going to hit hard whenever it happens. Summer holiday time could be
just as bad. If that's a problem, there's surely already the means to
spread the burden. And, apart from new members, it would appear that
Christmas is still going to be when the bill appears]
and results in subscriptions continuing to rise as your income does,
even though CILIP provides no additional services in return.
[if CILIP has had any success in raising the income levels of its
members, then it has automatically provided an extremely valuable
service to those benefitting from higher incomes. The beauty of the
current system is that, provided the actual rates for each band don't
rise, but bands are merely added at the top of the tree, CILIP's income
will increase together with the income of its members.]
How will the new system work? Most personal members ..... will no longer
have to tell CILIP each year how much you earn.
[If the choice is between the laborious task of ticking a box on the
renewal form, and paying a substantially higher flat rate, I think many
will cheerfully opt for the former]
Can I get a discount even if I don't pay it all at once? Yes - if you go
onto Direct Debit. Then you will be able to pay by instalments
throughout the year if you wish, and still receive a discount on your
subscription.
[If this doesn't already exist, it can be introduced without
restructuring the fees]
Are there any other ways I can save money on my CILIP subscription?
[Hint - negotiate through your union for employers who insist on CILIP
membership to repay all your fee]
Personally I would like to see lower income bands paying far less - even
free as Paul Catherall suggests. I'm also a bit perplexed by everyone's
nervousness about stating income range. How many people have access to
this information? Interesting that those on very low incomes are still
going to have to make a declaration - unfortunate discrimination if we
really are so sensitive about it.
Apologies for length of this!
Derek Harper
Programme and Information Coordinator
South West of England Regional Development Agency
01392 229358
-----Original Message-----
From: Tassoni, Laura [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 04 June 2004 17:20
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New flat-rate subscription for CILIP
http://www.cilip.org.uk/member/newsubscription.html
Hi everyone, what do people think about these changes to the CILIP
subscription system? Seems rather regressive to me. Have we had a
consultation?
Laura
----------------------
Laura Tassoni
Information Adviser
Learning Centre
Sheffield Hallam University
0114 225 4700
[log in to unmask]
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