Commercial Broadcasting (Tax) Act 2017

The Commercial Broadcasting (Tax) Act 2017

This Act imposes a tax on commercial broadcasting licences and transmitter licences associated with them. The tax is payable by the person who held the licence when it was issued, or on anniversary dates.

Key Provisions:

• The Act applies to external Territories.
• Tax is imposed on the issue of a transmitter licence and on anniversaries of the day a licence came into force.
• The amount of tax is calculated using individual transmitter amounts for the transmitter covered by the licence immediately after it came into force.
• The individual transmitter amount cap for a transmitter is determined based on the maximum power of the transmitter.

Taxation:

• Tax imposed under this Act is payable by the person who held the licence when it was issued, or on anniversary dates.
• Tax is calculated using individual transmitter amounts for the transmitter covered by the licence immediately after it came into force.

Individual Transmitter Amount Cap:

• The individual transmitter amount cap for a transmitter is determined based on the maximum power of the transmitter.
• The cap is indexed annually to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index.

Disallowance of Determinations:

• A determination made under subsection 8(2) can be disallowed by either House of Parliament within 15 sitting days after it was tabled in the House.
• If neither House passes such a resolution, the determination takes effect at the start of 1 July 2017.

Rebates:

• The Minister may make rules for rebates of the whole or part of an amount of tax payable by a person.

No Tax on State Property:

• This Act has no effect to the extent it imposes a tax on property of any kind belonging to a State.