THE New South Wales government has waived up to $50 million in licence fees for 200,000 small businesses across the construction sector.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello and Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said the licence fee waivers are a part of the state’s first economic stimulus package.
“These fee waivers will deliver much-needed relief for small businesses, at a time when cash flow is crucial,” Berejiklian said.
Fees will be waived for 12 months. Savings of $465 are expected for a building contractor and $235 for a specialist contractor.
While works have slowed, the construction sector has been deemed an essential service by the states and territories and remains in operation during the coronavirus outbreak.
Tudehope said the NSW Government was focused on keeping businesses in business and as many people as possible in jobs.
The announcement follows the first set of fee waivers that have started to come into effect, including $19.5 million in fee relief for that give eligible businesses in the entertainment and hospitality sectors access to a 12-month waiver on liquor licences and certain SafeWork NSW and NSW Fair Trading fees and charges.
The NSW government has provided more than $8 billion in response to COVID-19. That includes this week’s unveiling of a $440 million package for renters and landlords, with $220 million allocated to residential renters and landlords and the other half to businesses such as retailers, gyms and hairdressers.
Mark Goodsell, the NSW head of Ai Group said decision is a “great example of a meaningful response by the NSW Government to support a key sector of the economy during the current crisis”.
“NSW has indicated its strong desire to keep the construction sector going, safely. It has supported that intention with action on many fronts including a commitment to its own significant infrastructure program. It has also acted quickly to help address problems with construction working hour limitations and issues for FIFO workers crossing state borders to work on projects.
“The construction sector is not only important for the on-site work it generates, but also for the extensive on-shore supply chain of manufacturing and services it supports,” he said.
