Purpose
To advise industry of a Fee Remission Program which will be introduced from 1 May 2014 for all commodities under the Grain and Seed Exports Program cost recovery arrangement.
Key Points
- The reduction in service delivery fees and charges applies to all commodities under the Grain and Seed Exports Program cost recovery arrangement including grain, seed, fodder, nuts, cotton, forest products, hay, straw and processed plant products.
- From 1 May 2014 the Fee Remission Program will provide a reduction in tonnage charges, fee-for-service, overtime and electronic documentation fees.
- For consignments where loading of prescribed grain is completed on or after 1 May 2014 the whole consignment’s tonnage will be charged at the reduced rate of $0.08 per tonne.
- Fees and charges for commodities under the Horticulture Exports Program cost recovery arrangement will remain unchanged.
Table 1. Reduced fees and charges applied to the Grain and Seed Export Program from 1 May 2014.
| Fee or Charge type | Current rate | Reduction amount | Reduced rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonnage – Prescribed Grain | $0.11 per tonne | $0.03 | $0.08 per tonne |
| Fee for service | $36 per 1/4 hr | $2 | $34 per 1/4 hr |
| Overtime – time and a half | $15 per 1/4 hr | $1 | $14 per 1/4 hr |
| Overtime – Time and half – non-continuous | $180 Min. 3 hrs | $9 | $171 Min. 3 hrs |
| Overtime – Double time | $20 per 1/4 hr | $1 | $19 per 1/4 hr |
| Overtime – Double time – non-continuous | $240 Min. 3 hrs | $12 | $228 Min. 3 hrs |
| Overtime – Double time & a half | $25 per 1/4 hr | $1 | $24 per 1/4 hr |
| Overtime – Double time & a half – non-continuous | $300 Min. 3 hrs | $15 | $285 Min. 3 hrs |
| Electronic document | $16 per document | $4 | $12 per document |
Background
The Department of Agriculture has established an industry reserve (IR) for the Grain and Seed Exports Program cost recovery arrangement to enable the department and industry to smooth the impact of changes in revenue and/or expenses within the arrangement over a period of years.
Current departmental policy is to hold between 2% - 10% of forward year expenditure to offset unanticipated downturns in activity that cannot be immediately met by commensurate reductions in expenditure.
Because the IR balance is in excess of the above thresholds, the Fee Remission Program is being implemented to reduce the IR balance. The Grain and Plant Products Export Industry Consultative Committee (GPPEICC) has agreed to the fee and charge remissions which are to be applied to commodities under the Grain and Seed Exports Program cost recovery arrangement.
Further information on fees and charges can be accessed on the department’s website at Plant Exports Fees and Charges.
If you have any further enquiries, please contact the Grain and Seed Exports program on 02 6272 3229 or Grain Export.
Kylie Calhoun
Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations