Notice issued: 15 June 2022
From 1 July 2022 the rate of forest growers levies on logs that are produced in Australia will increase. Additionally, from this date producers who produce less than 20,000 cubic metres of leviable logs in a levy year will be exempt from the forest growers levy. These legislative changes will be made by the Primary Industries (Excise) Levies Amendment (Forest Growers Levies) Regulations 2022.
The increase to forest growers levies includes a new research and development (R&D) component, which will be implemented in annual phases over a three-year period. There will also be an increase to the Plant Health Australia (PHA) levy. The R&D levy component is intended to enable funding of R&D to support the Australian forest growing industry in reducing costs, increasing productivity and avoiding losses associated with pests, diseases, and severe weather events. The increase to the PHA levy is intended to fund responses to the biosecurity challenges facing the Australian plantation forest growing industry that are not able to be addressed adequately with the current level of funding to PHA.
The new levy payer exemption is intended to simplify levy administration and improve equity amongst growers by reducing the instances of levies being collected in circumstances where the costs of collection exceed the value of the levies collected. Changes to the levy rates are shown in the table below (amounts shown are the total of the general component, R&D component and, where applicable, the PHA Levy):
Leviable logs |
Current levy rate (up to 30 June 2022) |
Phases of levy rate changes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 |
1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 |
From 1 July 2024 onwards |
||
| Plantation Logs (Exotic Softwood and others – subject to PHA levy) | 5.5 cents per m³ | 13.5 cents per m³ | 16 cents per m³ | 18.5 cents per m³ |
| Other Logs | 5 cents per m³ | 8.5 cents per m³ | 11 cents per m³ | 13.5 cents per m³ |
Note: GST does not apply to Australian Government levies and charges.
Levy Component
For information on the changes to the levy components of the forest growers levies, including the new R&D levy component, please see the Forest growers levy web page.
Who can I contact if I have questions
If you have any questions about the changes to the forest growers levies, your levies account or how to lodge your return, please contact the Levies Helpdesk via email: levies.management@awe.gov.au or call us on 1800 020 619 and leave your contact details.