EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1984 No. 388
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Primary Industry
APPLE AND PEAR LEVY REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
The Apple and Pear Levy Act 1976 (the Act) provides for the imposition of a levy on the production of certain apples and pears produced in Australia and either sold by growers or used by growers in the production of fruit juice or other goods.
Amendments proposed to be made to the Apple and Pear Levy regulations are designed to increase the levy rate prescribed by regulation and to repeal an existing regulation which exempts fruit used for distillation purposes from the levy.
The proposed operative rates of charge prescribed in the regulations are in accordance with the recommendation to the Minister by the Australian Apple and Pear Growers’ Association that the rate of levy on juicing fruit be raised from 90 cents to $1.10 per tonne, on other processing fruit from $1.80 to $2.20 per tonne and on other (fresh market) fruit from 9 cents to 11 cents per box. The increased rates, to come into effect on 1 January 1985, are to fund additional promotional activity by the Corporation in view of an anticipated larger than normal crop in 1985. The maximum rates of levy permissible under the Act are for juicing fruit $1.50 per tonne, for processing fruit $3.60 per tonne and for fresh fruit 12 cents per box.
Sub-sections 7(4) and 7(5) of the Act provide for levy not to be payable on a prescribed class of fruit. Because of industry concern that the rate of levy (for processing fruit) payable on fruit for distillation purposes was too high the Act was recently amended to place distillation fruit in the lowest (juicing) levy category effective from 1 January 1985. Pending this amendment distillation fruit was made exempt from levy from 1 January 1984 by regulation on the recommendation of the Australian Apple and Pear Growers’ Association. These regulations repeal the exemption regulation to provide for levy to be charged on distillation fruit at the new lower levy rate.
The regulations are to come into operation on 1 January 1985.