The Rubus Industry Levy System
The Rubus industry currently has a compulsory levy in place to fund R&D and Marketing activities.
The Rubus levy and charge was first introduced on 1 July 2006. Rubus that is produced in Australia and sold by a producer or that is exported will attract a levy or charge.
All of the information here has been provided directly from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture website.
The levy is collected by the Australian Government and then entrusted to Hort Innovation. It is then Hort Innovation’s responsibility to work with industry to invest the levy together with Australian Government funds into strategic R&D initiatives and Marketing.
How much is the levy?
Rubus means raspberries, blackberries and hybrid brambles—for example, silvanberries, boysenberries, loganberries, youngberries and marionberries. Rubus does not mean strawberries, blueberries or ribes—for example, red currants, black currants, white currants and gooseberries.
Retail sale means Rubus that is sold by a producer other than to a first purchaser, through a buying agent, selling agent, exporting agent or at a wholesale produce market.
The Rubus levy has been amended and from 1 October 2023 is:
Rubus levy component |
Levy Rate |
|---|---|
| Marketing | Levy REMOVED |
| Research and Development (R&D) | 2 cents per kilogram |
| Plant Health Australia (PHA) | 2 cents per kilogram |
| TOTAL | 4 cents per kilogram |
The Rubus levy and charge is calculated per kilogram. The Rubus charge is not payable if the Rubus levy has been paid prior to export.
GST is not applied to Australian Government levies and charges.
Who pays the levy and how is it collected?
The producer, the person who owns the Rubus immediately after harvest is liable to pay the levy or charge.
If you are a producer and you sell your produce through an intermediary, such as a first purchaser, buying agent, selling agent or exporting agent, the amount of levy or charge they pay to the department on your behalf can be recovered from you by offset or otherwise.
If you are an intermediary, including a first purchaser, buying agent, selling agent or exporting agent, you must lodge a return and make a payment to the department. You can recover from the producer the amount of levy paid to the department, by offset or otherwise.
If you export Rubus—that is, you are the person who owns the Rubus at the time of export, you must lodge a return and make a payment to the department.
Are there any exemptions to the levy?
A producer of rubus is not liable to pay the rubus levy if the rubus is sold by a producer by retail sale or the rubus is sold by the producer for processing. The rubus levy is also not payable if the rubus is processed by the producer.
Where can I find more information?
The Rubus levy and charge is provided for under the:
Primary Industries (Excise) Levies Act 1999, Primary Industries (Customs) Charges Act 1999, and Primary Industries Levies and Charges Collection Act 1991.
Please visit the Australian Government website for more information.
