A number of Grants and Programs are currently available for small and farm businesses and commercial landlords. Below is a summary of:
- Small Business Fees & Charges Rebate (NSW)
- Rural Finance – Farm Safety Rebate Scheme (Victoria)
- COVID-19 VIC Commercial Landlord Hardship Fund
Small Business Fees & Charges Rebate (NSW)
Introduction
If you are a sole trader or the owner of a small business in NSW, you may be eligible for a small business fees and charges rebate of $1,500. Eligible businesses or not-for-profits only need to apply for the rebate once, but can submit multiple claims until the full value of $1,500 is reached.
Funds can be used to offset the costs of eligible NSW and local government fees and charges. These include, but are not limited to:
- Food authority licences
- Liquor licences
- Tradesperson licences
- Event fees
- Council rates
The rebate can only be used for eligible fees and charges due and paid from 1 March 2021. It cannot be used for fines or penalties, fees and charges that have the key purpose of discouraging behaviours or inducing behaviour changes, Commonwealth government charges, rent on government premises, or taxes. See guidelines for more information.
The rebate will be available until 30 June 2022.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this rebate, small businesses (including non-employing sole traders) must:
- Have total Australian wages below the NSW Government 2020-2021 payroll tax threshold of $1.2 million
- Have an Australian Business Number (ABN) registered in NSW and/or have Business premises physically located and operating in NSW
- Be registered for goods and services tax (GST)
- Provide a declaration that the business has a turnover of at least $75,000 per year
Note: Only one $1,500 rebate is available for each ABN.
What you Need
To apply for the rebate, you’ll need:
- A MyServiceNSW Account
- Your proof of identity
- Your valid ABN/ACN
- Your business banking details for payment
- Other evidence for not-for-profits, including an accountant’s letter verifying turnover of more than $75,000 per year.
You will need to supply supporting documentation when applying for the rebate and each time you make a claim.
For each claim you make, you will need to provide invoices and receipts showing payment of eligible fees or charges.
Proof of Identity
Two proof of identity documents are required. They may include:
- Australian driver licence
- Medicare card
- Australian passport
- Australian birth certificate
- Australian travel visa
- Australian citizenship certificate
- Australian certificate of registration by descent
- Australian ImmiCard.
How to Apply
Online applications open from April 2021.
Rural Finance – Farm Safety Rebate Scheme (Victoria)
Overview
This program seeks to assist eligible farm businesses to invest in eligible infrastructure and equipment projects to improve safety for farming families, workers and visitors to Victorian farms.
Rebates of up to $5,000 (excluding GST) are available with at least 50% co-contribution from the applicant.
A total funding pool of $3 million (excluding GST) is available.
Only one rebate per farm business is permitted for the life of the Scheme. A combination of projects is permitted in one application for a combined total of no more than $5,000 in matched rebate funding.
Who Can Apply?
Eligible applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be the owner, operator, share farmer or lease holder of a farm business:
- Carried out on land in Victoria
- Located where the project will be installed
- Which is focused on ‘Primary Production’
- Holding an Australian Business Number (ABN)
- Which is registered for GST
- Sign a Declaration confirming that they meet the eligibility requirements of the Scheme
- If requested by Agriculture Victoria, provide further evidence in relation to any of the eligibility requirements
Please refer to the Guidelines for the complete eligibility requirements.
Eligible Activities
Eligible projects are those that aim for permanent safety improvements and can include, but are not limited to the following:
- Child safety fencing and installation costs to create safe on-farm play areas.
- Safety and warning signs (e.g. children at play, traffic management, speed limits, overhead powerlines, chemical hazard, deep water, water not for drinking, steep descent, hearing protection must be worn etc.).
- Animal handling equipment (sheep handling systems, cattle crush etc).
- Animal management (loading ramps, man-gates, access platforms, roofed sheep races (note: New Australian standard expected in late 2020).
- Chemical hazards (dedicated chemical storage sheds (AS2507), spill washdown and shower facilities, eye wash station etc).
- Upgrade of shearing, dairy or machinery shed electrics to install safety switches or improve power systems and lighting.
- Emergency shut off switches for existing machinery and equipment.
- Retrofit back brace hanging points in shearing sheds.
- Reversing camera on farm tractors and vehicles.
- Retrofit of seatbelts, seatbelt warning lights, deadman switches etc.Retrofit of guarding on machinery and plant where guards did not previously exist.
Please refer to the Guidelines for the complete eligibility requirements.
COVID-19 VIC Commercial Landlord Hardship Fund
Overview
This program aims to support eligible small landlords who may experience hardship as a result of reducing rent for their tenant(s) under the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme, which was introduced to support commercial tenants whose income has been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Grants of up to $3,000 per tenancy are available.
Before applying to the Commercial Landlord Hardship Fund Round 2, landlords must complete the following process under the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme:
- Step 1 – Receive a written request for rent relief made by a commercial tenant(s)
- Step 2 – Respond to the tenant(s) in writing within 14 days, or the agreed timeframe
- Step 3 – Provide rent relief in proportion to their tenant’s downturn in turnover
- Step 4 – At least 50% of the relief provided must in the form of a rent waiver
A small landlord can only make one grant application per eligible tenancy under this program.
Additionally, a small landlord can make applications for each eligible tenancy under the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme if their total taxable landholdings are under $3 million, excluding primary place of residence.
The grant will be allocated according to ownership share in the property if there are multiple property owners.
Who Can Apply?
Eligible applicants must:
- Be a landlord with total taxable landholdings of less than $3 million, including part holdings but excluding principal place of residence, or where a property is held on trust, the total taxable landholdings of the trust must be less than $3 million.
- Be an owner and landlord of the property for which an application is made.
- Be the landlord of a property subject to a Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme eligible tenancy.
- Be a landlord with a current lease agreement that provides rent relief to the tenant(s) between 1 January and 28 March 2021 under the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme.
- Be an Australian citizen, resident or Australian incorporated entity.
- Attest that financial hardship has or will result from providing rent relief to the tenant(s).
Eligible Activities
Grants must be used by small landlords to offset rent reduction to their tenant(s) as agreed under the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme.