Funding Sources

Approximately two-thirds of Private Forests Tasmania's annual revenue comes from State government funding. Additional sources of revenue include the private forest service levy, bank interest and consultancy services provided on a fee for service basis.

Tasmanian Government Funding

In 2009 - 2010 the Tasmanian Government is providing funding for Private Forests Tasmania of $1.347 million.

Private Forest Service Levy

Private Forests Tasmania is empowered to raise funds from private forest landowners through the private forest service levy. It is calculated on the nett area of a forest operation permitted pursuant to the certification of a forest practices plan. Landowners have six months from the date of certification of their forest practices plan in which to pay the levy.

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 25I of the Private Forests Act 1994, by 30 June each year the Minister must determine the private forest service levy rate for the financial year commencing 1 July of that year.

The Minister must determine the rate after consulting with forest owners' organisations. On the recommendation of the Board of Private Forests Tasmania, the Minister again set the rate at $14 per hectare for 2009 – 2010, representing the ninth straight year the rate would remain unchanged.

The private forest service levy was introduced as a means of securing significant private sector funding for the operations of Private Forests Tasmania. The introduction of the private forest service levy was negotiated with representatives from the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association.

The table below shows the amount of revenue raised from the private foest service levy over the last five years..