The Assistant Treasurer, Senator Kemp, today announced that the Government will introduce a Bill to amend the Aircraft Noise Levy Collection Act 1995 (the Collection Act). The Collection Act and the Aircraft Noise Levy Act 1995 establish a regime for the imposition and collection of an aircraft noise levy at certain airports. The primary aim of the legislation is to recover the costs incurred in providing noise amelioration programmes in the vicinity of airports. The programme at Sydney Airport has to date enabled some 3,300 homes and a number of public buildings to be noise insulated.
Under the legislation, the levy is to apply to landings of jet aircraft at airports declared as leviable. The Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport was declared a leviable airport in 1995 for the nine months to 30 June 1996. Although, in accordance with the legislation, the levy has been properly set each year since 1995, no declaration of Sydney as a leviable airport has been in place.
This situation arose as a result of an administrative oversight within the Treasury which was discovered in preparing a declaration to make Adelaide Airport leviable. When Treasury discovered the oversight, the Treasurer and the Assistant Treasurer were informed and the Secretary to the Treasury has taken full responsibility for the matter. Upon receiving advice about the oversight, the Government has acted quickly to resolve the situation.
The Assistant Treasurer, Senator Kemp, has declared Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport to be leviable for the period 22 February 2001 to 30 June 2006 inclusive. The Bill to amend the Collection Act will correct the oversight in relation to the earlier years by deeming a declaration to have been in place from 1 July 1996.
No additional burden will be imposed on airline operators or other businesses as a result of the Government's actions. The Bill will relate only to amounts that have already been raised from the levy and paid towards the costs of the noise amelioration programme.
CANBERRA
21 February, 2001
Media contacts: Richard Allsop Assistant Treasurer’s Office (02) 6277 7360
John Jepsen Treasury (02) 6263 3758