March 26, 2013
Backgrounder - Increases to Fees and Tobacco Tax
Increases to various fees, the implementation of new fees and an increase to tobacco tax will result in increased revenue of approximately $19.3 million in 2013-14. All fees are effective April 1, 2013, unless otherwise indicated.
Online Vehicle Registration
A 10 per cent online discount for vehicle registration renewals began in
2007 as a way to promote the use of online services. Approximately 60 per
cent of all vehicle renewals are now completed online, one of the highest
rates in the country. The discount was intended to encourage online use and
demonstrate its convenience and has achieved its purpose. Therefore, the
discount will be eliminated effective April 1, 2013, resulting in revenue of
$2.6 million. Rates for registrations completed via counter service will
remain the same. The Provincial Government will continue the senior’s
discount for online renewal at a discount of 35 per cent; however, the
discount will be applied against the new base rate (see below).
Provincial Historic Sites
Provincial Historic Sites will increase admission fees at all locations
throughout the province, and discontinue the practice of offering free
admission one day a week.
This will be the first time fees have increased since 1999. The new fees
will be in keeping with the fees charged at other heritage tourism
attractions both within and outside the province.
Quarry Fees
Approximately $600,000 in revenue will result from an increase in quarry
fees from $0.50 cents per cubic metre to $0.65 cents per cubic metre. There
has been no increase to quarry fees since 2007.
Increase in Tobacco Tax
The tax per cigarette will increase by 1.5 cents effective 12:01 a.m. March
27, 2013. This will result in increased revenues of approximately $8
million.
Department of Transportation and Works
The Department of Transportation and Works is introducing a highway access
permit fee for residents and businesses who wish to establish a right of
entry from a provincial road to their property. Including the application,
the total permit fee is $100 for individuals and $500 for businesses.
Ferry rates will increase by 10 per cent for all users of the service, resulting in revenue of approximately $490,000. The provincial ferry service is over 90 per cent subsidized through public funds. Rates have not increased in seven years.
A summary of these, as well as other, fee changes is provided below.
Summary of Fee Changes
|
Department |
2012-13 Fee Amount |
2013-14 Fee Amount |
|
Service NL |
||
|
Online Vehicle Registration Renewals Passenger Vehicles Recreational Trailers Motorcycles Senior’s Fees with Discount (35%) Passenger Vehicles Recreational Trailers Motorcycles |
$126.00 $34.20 $67.50
$81.90 $22.23 $43.87 |
$140.00 $38.00 $75.00
$91.00 $24.70 $48.75 |
|
Transportation and Works |
||
|
Ferry Rates |
Varies by ferry run and category |
10% increase to current rates for all ferry users |
|
Highway Access Fees Individual permit (including application) Commercial permit (including application) |
-- -- |
$100 $500 |
|
Tender Document Fees |
Actual cost of printing a document. No charge for documents less than 30 pages. Average range from $20 to $50 for large documents. |
$20 plus printing cost for all documents |
|
Tourism, Culture and Recreation |
||
|
Provincial Historic Sites Single Admissions (Adults) Seniors (60+) Children / Youth (6-16) Students (Valid ID) Family (2 adults, 2 youth) (Fees in effect May 18, 2013) |
$3 -- -- -- $5 |
$6 $4 $3 $4 $15
|
|
Natural Resources |
||
|
Quarry material fees (per cubic metre) |
$0.50 |
$0.65 |
|
Forestry Permit Fees Commercial Domestic Sawmill Commercial Sawmill |
$21 $10 $25 |
$50 $30 $200 |
|
Animal Health Fees Farm Veterinary Services
Farm Laboratory Service (Fees in effect June 31, 2013) |
Varies by service
Varies by service |
$10 increase from current fees
Increases from current fees range from $1.50 to $50 |
|
Finance |
||
|
Tax Clearance Certificate |
-- |
$50 |
|
Labour Relations Agency |
||
|
Labour Standards Clearance Certificate |
$25 |
$50 |
|
Education |
||
|
Teacher Certification Fees Statement of Professional Standing Duplicate Copy of Teaching Certificate Initial Application for Teacher Certification Upgrading Application of Teacher Certificate (Fees in effective June 1, 2013) |
$10 $25 $60 $50 |
$20 $30 $115 $200 |
|
Advanced Education and Skills |
||
|
Private Training Institutions: Annual Registration – per campus Annual re-register of each program – per campus Registration of provincial curriculum Facility inspections Instructor approval requests Program change requests (Fees in effect July 1, 2013) |
--
-- -- -- -- -- |
$500
$100 $100 $300 $25 $25
|
|
Fisheries and Aquaculture |
||
|
Fish Buyers/Processing Licensing Fee |
Varies from $500 to $750 |
$1,000 |
|
Species Licences |
Range from $300 to $2,000 |
Range from $500 to $4,000 |
|
Licensing of Aquaculture Sites Salmon Mussel (Fees in effect June 30, 2013) |
$100 $100 |
$500 $250 |
|
Health and Community Services |
||
|
In-patient and out-patient rates for health services provided to non-residents of Canada and individuals who work for non-provincially insured agencies |
Varies by service |
20% increase to current fees |
|
Daily rate for rooms in health care facilities Semi-private rooms Private rooms |
$85 $100 |
$102 $120 |
|
Non-insured surgical procedure rates for elective surgeries |
Varies by service |
$1,100 |
- 30 –
Media contact:
Tansy Mundon
Director of Communications
Department of Finance
709-729-6830; 693-1865
tansymundon@gov.nl.ca
2013 03 26 2:45 p.m.