Licensees or businesses owning four or more packaged liquor outlets are not exempt from the annual licence fee waiver on offer as part of the NSW Government's COVID-19 stimulus package.
While the annual fee will automatically be waived for most licensees, bottle shops and home delivery businesses (packaged liquor licences) with four or more outlets owned by the same licensee or business are not exempt. The annual liquor licence fee is now due.
The waiver was warmly welcomed by the Australian Hotels Association NSW and Retail Drinks when it was announced back in April. Both industry bodies had appealed to the NSW Government for relief at the time of shutdown.
When it was announced, Premier Gladys Berejiklian predicted at that 200,000 licence holders stood to benefit from the relief package.
The NSW Government fee waiver includes the base fee and trading hours risk loading fee and applies for the 2020-2021 licence fee period. Compliance risk loadings will be deferred, not waived, and included as part of 2021-2022 annual liquor licence fees.
Licensees and businesses deemed to be automatically exempt from the annual fee include: small bar licences, microbreweries and small distilleries licences, on-premises licences, club licences, hotel licences, producer/wholesaler licences, general bar licences, packaged liquor licences.
If your business fall into the category of owning four or more packaged liquor outlets category and is experiencing financial hardship, there is an application to receive the fee waiver.
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