New Emergency Services Tax on Property Owners; Discount for Emergency Service Volunteers
Fire Services Property Amendment (Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund) Bill 2025
1st House
2nd House
Law
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
Owners of leviable land in Victoria must pay an annual charge to fund emergency services and volunteers.
Land is only considered a principal place of residence if it has a building designed and constructed for residential use.
The fixed charge for residential land is set to the same rate as commercial, industrial, primary production, and public benefit land starting in the 2026-2027 levy year.
The Minister must determine future levy rates based on funding requirements, administrative costs, and financial surpluses.
The Minister must set the percentage of funding recipients' requirements covered by the levy, capped at 87.5% for Fire Rescue Victoria and 95% for others.
Owners of multiple parcels of land in a single farm enterprise can apply for an exemption from the fixed charge part of the levy.
Collection agencies may require farm enterprise applicants to provide further details or verify information to process their exemption.