Stuart Ayres MP, Member for Penrith today reminds the small business community in Penrith that a $1500 rebate scheme is opening early next month to help pay for NSW and local government fees and charges, such as licences, council rates, and registration fees.
Stuart Ayres said the Small Business Fees and Charges Rebate, which was announced in November’s Budget, would provide support for eligible NSW small businesses, sole traders and non-profit organisations.
“It’s important that we support small businesses, including businesses in Penrith, to recover from the impact of the COVID pandemic and encourage business growth by reducing the cost of running a business,” Stuart Ayres said.
Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said a small pilot program would start this month before it rolled out state-wide and businesses could access the scheme through Service NSW.
“Many licence fee waivers are about to expire and I encourage small businesses below the new 2020-21 payroll tax threshold of $1.2 million to apply for this new rebate scheme,” Mr Tudehope said.
“This will help hundreds more businesses, along with entrepreneur and family businesses across the state, ensuring they have more money in their pockets as NSW continues its post-pandemic recovery.
“We want to make it easy to run a business and when we support small businesses, we support the recovery and jobs.”
Under the scheme, small businesses, sole traders and non-profit organisations can apply to be reimbursed up to $1500 for NSW and local government fees and charges that are related to the cost of doing business. These include:
- Food authority licences
- Liquor licences
- Tradesperson licences
- Event fees
- Council rates
- Business vehicle registration fees
The scheme cannot be used for fees and charges specifically excluded under policy guidelines, such as fines and penalties, and will only be available for those charges and fees that are due and paid after 1 March 2021.
It will be available via Service NSW in early April and will run until 30 June 2022. The scheme will allow eligible small businesses to draw down on a $1500 credit to offset the cost of eligible NSW and local government fees and charges. More information, including the program guidelines, are available at www.service.nsw.gov.au/small-business-fees-and-charges-rebate
