Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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BEEF PRODUCTION LEVY REGULATIONS 1991 NO. 51

STATUTORY RULES 1991 No. 51

Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy.

Subject       Beef Production Levy Act 1990

Beef Production Levy Regulations

The Beef Production Levy Act 1990 (the Act) imposes a levy on the slaughter of cattle. The levy consists of two components, which raise funds for the following purposes:

(a)       financing of the Australian Meat and Live-stock Corporation (AMLC)

(b)       financing of the Australian Meat and Live-stock Research and Development Corporation (AMLRDC)

These regulations will implement a recommendation by the AMLRDC to increase the levy component that raises funds to finance its activities. As required by the Act, the recommendation was endorsed at the Annual General Meeting of the AMLRDC on 29 November 1990. The rate increases will commence on 1 May 1991.

The Act commenced on 1 February 1991 and, in combination with the Cattle Transaction Levy Act 1990 and the Cattle Export Charge Act 1990, replaced levies imposed on cattle, calves and bobby calves under the Live-stock Slaughter Levy Act 1964 and the Live-stock Export Charge Act 1977.

The motion put to the annual general meeting by the AMLRDC recommended increases in the operative rates for the Live-stock Slaughter Levy and the Live-stock Export Charge, but that in the event of the new arrangements being introduced before the new rates became operative, the recommendations concerning cattle, calves and bobby calves were to be read as recommending increases in the new levies and charge to raise the same amount of revenue as would be raised under the old arrangements. The new rates for the levy have been calculated on this basis.

The present and proposed operative rates and the prescribed maximum rates of levy are as follows:

Beef Produced AMLC AMLRDC           Total

Present rates 1.89 cents           0.28 cents 2.17 cents

Proposed rates (per kg) 1.89 cents           0.54 cents 2.43 cents

Prescribed maximum rates 4.0 cents 1.0 cents

The funds generated by the rate increases will allow for the continuation and expansion of the Corporation's current marketing, development and promotional initiatives in line with its 5 year Corporate Plan.

The AMLC component of the levy remains unchanged by these Regulations.