Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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MARINE NAVIGATION LEVY AMENDMENT REGULATIONS 2000 (NO. 1) 2000 NO. 158

STATUTORY RULES 2000 No. 158

Issued by the authority of the Minister for Transport and Regional Services

Marine Navigation Levy Act 1989

Marine Navigation Levy Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1)

The Marine Navigation Levy is imposed on trading ships using Australian ports to recover the costs of navigational aids provided on behalf of the Commonwealth by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

Subsection 8(1) of the Marine Navigation Levy Act 1989 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of subsection 7(2) of the Act which provides for the amount of levy to be paid, calculated on the ship's tonnage.

Regulation 4 of the Marine Navigation Levy Regulations 1991 prescribes the following levy rates:

(a) 5.5 cents for each of the first 5,000 tons of the ship's tonnage (paragraph 7(2)(a)

of the Act);

(b) 1 cents for each ton by which the ship's tonnage is more than 5,000 tons but not more than 20,000 tons (paragraph 7(2)(b) of the Act);

(c) 8.5 cents for each ton by which the ship's tonnage is more than 20,000 tons but

not more than 50,000 tons (paragraph 7(2)(c) of the Act);

(d) 3 cents for each ton by which the ship's tonnage is more than 50,000 tons (paragraph 7(2)(d) of the Act).

The purpose of the Regulations is to amend the Marine Navigation Levy Regulations 1991 to decrease the rate of levy.

The amendments provide for a reduction of 10% in the marine navigation levy charged on ships from 1 July 2000 and will save shippers an estimated $2.3 million a year.

in addition, regulation 3 is amended to delete the definition of "quarter" which was inserted in 1995 when rates covering specific quarters were prescribed. As rates are no longer prescribed for quarters, the definition is not required.

Details of the Regulations are:

Regulation 1 provides that the regulations are named the Marine Navigation Levy Amendment Regulations 2000.

Regulation 2 provides that the regulations commence on 1 July 2000.

Regulation 3 provides that Schedule 1 amends the Marine Navigation Levy Regulations 1991.

Schedule 1:

(a) omits the definition of "quarter" in regulation 3; and

(b) reduces the amount of levy in regulation 4 as follows:

for the purposes of paragraph 7(2)(a) of the Act from 35.5 cents to 32 cents for the purposes of paragraph 7(2)(b) of the Act from 21 cents to 19 cents for the purposes of paragraph 7(2)(c) of the Act from 8.5 cents to 7.5 cents for the purposes of paragraph 7(2)(d) of the Act from 3 cents to 2.5 cents