[Robert Hay]

Hi Everyone

This is being sent out by LGNSW this morning

Attn: Mayors, Administrators, Councillors, General Managers, Interim General Managers

LGNSW went in to bat with NSW Treasury and the Office of State Revenue (OSR) this week about letters received by councils from the OSR on the Emergency Services Levy (ESL) and the NSW Government’s Fire and Emergency Services Levy (FESL).
A big thank you to Central Darling Shire Council for being the first to alert us to this issue.

The letters were about the payment of these two levies by councils to OSR and the use of an automatic “direct debit sweep”. However, the ESL and FESL were mixed up, and the direct debit scheme raised alarm bells with LGNSW and councils.

We are very pleased to report that OSR and NSW Treasury have now agreed to issue a clarification next week. OSR will collect both the 11.7 per cent ESL and the FESL in future. As a direct result of our advocacy, OSR and NSW Treasury have also committed to offering councils an alternative payment method for both levies, rather than automatic direct debit, for those councils that require it.

All of this just serves to underscore the logic of our sector’s position that the ESL must be rolled into the FESL so these levies are collected just the once, and transparently. The situation we have now is confusing and inefficient. We will talk again with Treasury on these matters next week and will keep members updated. Read more. http://www.lgnsw.org.au/files/imce-uploads/386/UPDATE%20ON%20ESL_FESL%20Link%20%283%29.pdf