Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Determination 2001

Administered by Department of Communications and the Arts

Legislation au F2005B00128 Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Determination 2001

as amended

made under subsection 101A (2) of the

Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999

This compilation was prepared on 5 April 2005
taking into account amendments up to Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Amendment Determination
2005 (No. 1)

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing,
Attorney-General’s Department, Canberra

Contents

 1 Name of Determination [see Note 1]

 2 Commencement [see Note 1]

 3 Definitions 

 4 Purpose of Determination 

 5 Application 

 6 Rate of late payment penalty 

Schedule 1 Calculation of previous financial year average GIC rate 

Notes  

 

 

 

1 Name of Determination [see Note 1]

  This Determination is the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Determination 2001.

2 Commencement [see Note 1]

  This Determination commences on gazettal.

3 Definitions

  In this Determination:

Act means the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999.

previous financial year average GIC rate means the rate worked out in accordance with Schedule 1.

4 Purpose of Determination

 (1) Under section 98 of the Act, NRS levy is payable for a quarter of a financial year.

 (2) Under subsection 101 (2) of the Act, a person liable to pay NRS levy for a quarter must pay it on or before the seventh day of the second month in the quarter.

 (3) Under section 101A of the Act:

 (a) if any amount of levy that is payable by a person remains unpaid after the day by which it must be paid, the person is liable to a penalty on the unpaid amount for each day until all of the levy has been paid; and

 (b) the penalty rate is 20% per year, or such lower rate as the ACA determines in writing for the purposes of subsection 101A (2).

 (4) This Determination determines a lower penalty rate.

5 Application

  This Determination applies on a day only if the previous financial year average GIC rate on that day is less than 20% per year.

6 Rate of late payment penalty

  For subsection 101A (2) of the Act, the penalty rate for a day is the previous financial year average GIC rate.

Schedule 1 Calculation of previous financial year average GIC rate

(section 3)

 

1.  For the definition of previous financial year average GIC rate in section 3, the rate is worked out using the formula:

where:

Q1 means the average of the general interest charge rates, determined under section 8AAD of the Taxation Administration Act 1953, that applied during the first quarter of the financial year that ended most recently before the day for which the rate is being worked out.

Q2 means the average of the general interest charge rates, determined under section 8AAD of the Taxation Administration Act 1953, that applied during the second quarter of the financial year that ended most recently before the day for which the rate is being worked out.

Q3 means the average of the general interest charge rates, determined under section 8AAD of the Taxation Administration Act 1953, that applied during the third quarter of the financial year that ended most recently before the day for which the rate is being worked out.

Q4 means the average of the general interest charge rates, determined under section 8AAD of the Taxation Administration Act 1953, that applied during the fourth quarter of the financial year that ended most recently before the day for which the rate is being worked out.

2.  The previous financial year average GIC rate must be rounded to the second decimal place (rounding 0.005 upwards).

Note   The average of the general interest charge rates determined for each quarter is published by the Australian Taxation Office on the website www.ato.gov.au, where it is referred to as ‘GIC annual rate (simple interest)’. That reference may be found by searching on that website for ‘GIC rates’.

Notes to the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Determination 2001

Note 1

The Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Determination 2001 (in force under subsection 101A (2) of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999) as shown in this compilation is amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, which came into force on 1 January 2005, it is a requirement for all non-exempt legislative instruments to be registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.

Table of Instruments

Title

Date of notification
in Gazette or FRLI registration

Date of
commencement

Application, saving or
transitional provisions

Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Determination 2001

28 Nov 2001
(see Gazette 2001, No. GN47)

28 Nov 2001

 

Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Amendment Determination 2005 (No. 1)

23 Mar 2005 (see F2005L00755)

24 Mar 2005

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted      am. = amended      rep. = repealed      rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

S. 3.................

am. 2005 No. 1

S. 5.................

am. 2005 No. 1

S. 6.................

am. 2005 No. 1

Schedule 1

 

Schedule 1............

ad. 2005 No. 1

 

Overview

The Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Determination 2001, as amended, was enacted to address the issue of late payments of the National Revenue Scheme (NRS) levy under the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999. This legislation was introduced to ensure that penalties for late payment of the NRS levy are fair and reflective of the current economic conditions. The Determination was made by the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) under the authority granted by the Act, aiming to provide a more accurate and responsive penalty rate. The policy objective is to establish a penalty rate that is lower than the statutory 20% per year when the average general interest charge (GIC) rate of the previous financial year is less than 20% per year. This approach ensures that the penalty imposed on late payments is proportionate to the actual cost of borrowing money in the economy, thus promoting fairness and compliance among telecommunications service providers.

Scope and Application

The Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Determination 2001, made under the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999, applies to any person who is liable to pay the National Revenue Scheme (NRS) levy under the Act. This levy is payable for each quarter of the financial year and must be paid on or before the seventh day of the second month in the quarter. If a person fails to pay the levy on time, a penalty is applicable on the unpaid amount for each day until it is paid. The Determination sets a lower penalty rate, which is the previous financial year average General Interest Charge (GIC) rate, provided this rate is less than 20% per year. The penalty rate is calculated based on the average GIC rates for each quarter of the previous financial year and is published by the Australian Taxation Office. The Determination applies nationally across Australia and is subject to amendments through subordinate instruments, such as the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Amendment Determination 2005 (No. 1), which adjusts the penalty rates and other provisions.

Key Provisions

The Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) (Late Payment of NRS Levy) Determination 2001, as amended, sets out the conditions under which the penalty rate for late payment of the National Revenue Service (NRS) levy is determined (sections 3 and 6). This Determination is activated if the average General Interest Charge (GIC) rate for the previous financial year is less than 20% per annum (section 5). The penalty rate is calculated based on this average GIC rate, which is worked out by averaging the GIC rates for each quarter of the financial year that ended most recently before the penalty period (Schedule 1). The penalty is applicable if the NRS levy remains unpaid after the due date, which is the seventh day of the second month of the quarter (subsection 101(2) of the Act). Under the Determination, parties liable for the NRS levy are required to pay it by the due date. Failure to do so incurs a penalty based on the previous financial year average GIC rate, which is applied to each day that the levy remains unpaid (subsection 101A(2) of the Act). This requirement is in addition to the basic obligation to pay the levy by the specified due date. The rate of the penalty is not fixed but is determined by the average GIC rate, which must be calculated according to the formula provided in Schedule 1 and rounded to the second decimal place (section 3 and Schedule 1). Breaches of the requirements to pay the NRS levy on time result in financial penalties. The penalty is calculated daily from the day after the due date until the levy is paid in full. The maximum penalty rate is determined by the average GIC rate, which can vary depending on the financial conditions of the previous year. The Determination provides a mechanism to adjust this rate to reflect economic changes, ensuring the penalty remains fair and relevant. The penalty amount is added to the outstanding levy, increasing the total amount owed until the levy and penalty are paid.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.