Australia’s agricultural exporters will be spared massive cost increases if the Senate moves against a Government proposal to cut the 40 per cent AQIS Export Certification rebate.
Senator Fiona Nash, chair of the Senate Rural, Regional Affairs and Transport Committee, which recommended that the Labor Government regulations be disallowed, said the inquiry found significant concerns about the Government’s cost recovery process.
“The decision to remove the 40 per cent rebate took many in the industry by surprise and the Government has tied the delivery of funds necessary to deliver reforms to the safe passage of the revised fee structures through Parliament,” Senator Nash said. “Exporters face an ultimatum: either accept 100 per cent cost recovery with no transition period or jeopardise progress on a long-overdue regulatory reform.
“The removal of the rebate will increase costs and could adversely affect the competitiveness of many Australian exporters, crushing trade. Many other nations believe export certification is a public good and do not charge full cost recovery.
“Australia’s exporters will be at a disadvantage if they are made to pay what amounts to a tax on their businesses. This is from the same Government that wants to add a tax to the price of everything, especially food, with its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
“The committee recommended that the Senate move to disallow the Export Control (Fees) Amendment Orders 2009 (No. 1) and that the Government continues the current regulatory reform process and commits sufficient public funds to it until such time as all reform initiatives identified by each of the ministerial task forces have been successfully implemented.”
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