JEVON MCSKIMMING
Consultation has begun today on proposals for fees to contribute to an arms regulatory system that keeps us all safe. A greater contribution from licence holders is being sought.We are seeking your feedback on proposed changes to firearms fees.
Licence fees were last set in 1999 and, other than GST adjustments, haven’t increased since then. For more than 20 years the cost of firearms licensing has been increasingly subsidised by the taxpayer as costs have risen. Some services of direct commercial and private benefit, such as applications for import permits, are delivered for free.
A greater contribution towards the cost of providing regulatory services (licences, endorsements, permits, approvals) is being sought. This contribution will be sought from licence holders whether they use firearms for business, employment, or recreation. We want to make it more equitable for all. We are not consulting about the recent changes to the Arms Act 1983 that lay out the criteria for the recovery of costs which have already been decided by Parliament.
We are also not consulting on fees related to shooting clubs and shooting ranges because these have now been finalised and published. The Act requires the Minister to be satisfied that the Police Commissioner has consulted with anyone affected, or likely to be affected, by these changes.
As the majority of licence holders only hold a firearms licence you may only want to submit on the fee for a firearms licence and answer the questions directly related to this. The submission forms are set up in a way that allows respondents to download and submit on that part only. We would welcome your feedback as this will help inform decisions. More information on proposals and how to provide feedback can be found here
Consultation opens 8 December and closes 16 February 2023. It will be open for ten weeks rather than the standard six weeks to take into consideration the Christmas break.
Once consultation has closed all submissions will be analysed and used to inform final decisions by Cabinet on fees.
