QLD COVID-19 Business Support Measures & Eligibility

Contents

• 2021 COVID-19 Business Support Grant
• Tourism & Hospitality Sector COVID-19 Lockdown Support Package
• QLD COVID-19 Cleaning Rebate

2021 COVID-19 Business Support Grant

The QLD Government has introduced additional support grants for eligible businesses who have been impacted by the August 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns. These grants range from $10,000 to $30,000 depending on the size of the business. The grants can be used for business expenses. See below for further details on the Business Support Grant.

$10,000 Grant: available to eligible employing small business and not-for-profit organisations with an annual payroll in QLD of less than $1.3M.

$15,000 Grant: available to eligible employing medium sized businesses and not-for-profit organisations with an annual payroll in QLD between $1.3M and $10M.

$30,000 Grant: available to eligible employing large sized tourism and hospitality focused businesses and not-for-profit organisations with an annual payroll in QLD of greater than $10M.

Non-Employing Sole Traders: eligible non-employing sole traders across QLD can receive a one-off $1,000 grant. If you are a Queensland-based non-employing sole trader who has had a decline in turnover of more than 30% due to the South East Queensland lockdown commencing 31 July 2021 or the Cairns and Yarrabah lockdown commencing 8 August 2021, you may be eligible for a one-off $1,000 grant.

Eligibility Criteria

For the grants ranging between $10,000 and $30,000, to be eligible you will need to meet the following:

• Have an annual turnover of over $75,000 during any of the 2018–19, 2019–20 or 2020–21 financial years (Note: Businesses that have recently started can provide financial records to show they will reasonably meet this turnover requirement in the 2021–22 financial year)
• Have an annual payroll of not more than $10 million (except for large businesses and not for profit organisations operating in an identified tourism and hospitality sector) during any of the 2018–19, 2019–20 or 2020–21 financial years.
• Have been impacted by the South East Queensland lockdown commencing 31 July 2021 or the Cairns and Yarrabah lockdown commencing 8 August 2021 or any other lockdown in the month of August 2021.
• Had an ABN as at 30 June 2021
• Are registered for GST
• Have Queensland headquarters (i.e. your principal place of business is located in QLD) and have been trading in QLD on 31 July 2021
• Not be insolvent, or have owners or directors that are insolvent or an undischarged bankrupt
• Demonstrate the business or not for profit organisation was directly or indirectly impacted by a lockdown event
• Demonstrate or declare a reduction in turnover of 30% or more during a nominated 7-day period:
  
  - this must include at least 1 full day of a lockdown event when comparing against turnover achieved during the same 7-day period in July or August 2019;
  OR
  - if the 2019 period does not indicate a typical weekly turnover (e.g. for a recently started small business or business that has experienced structural changes), include another comparable period (e.g. the same period in July/August 2020).

How to Apply

Application open midday 16 August 2021 and can me made via the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) portal.

There are various supporting documents that may need to be provided in your application, including:

• Copy of payroll records, payroll tax return, or letter from your accountant/BAS agent to confirm payroll figures
• Sales information from your business to demonstrate the 30% decline, or letter from your accountant/BAS agent to confirm sales figures
• BAS to demonstrate your annual turnover is above $75,000 or letter from your accountant/BAS agent to confirm turnover is above $75,000
• Copy of utility bill or web information to verify your trading location

Tourism & Hospitality Sector COVID-19 Lockdown Support Package

Eligible hospitality or tourism businesses may be eligible for rebate, fee and payroll tax relief measures under the $47.75 million tourism and hospitality sector COVID-19 lockdown support package. This relief will provide immediate support if you're impacted by the recent COVID-19 lockdowns in South East Queensland or Cairns.

1. Payroll Tax Deferral

Eligible tourism and hospitality businesses that lodge payroll tax returns monthly can apply to defer paying their payroll tax liability due in August 2021 for 6 months. If they have already paid the liability due in August, they can apply to defer their next month's payroll tax liability.

Eligibility

To qualify for the 2021 deferral, your business must:

• Pay payroll tax in Queensland
• Operate in the hospitality or tourism sector (check your ANZSIC code)
• Lodge payroll tax returns monthly
• Have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns in Queensland
• Apply no later than 30 September 2021 using the online form.

2. 12-month state land rent deferral for tourism operators

Rent deferral is available for eligible tourism operators on state land for the period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022. Payment of rent for this period will now be due on 1 July 2022.

Rent for eligible tourism lessees, licensees and permit holders that is payable for the period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 has been automatically deferred for payment until 1 July 2022. No further action is required.

3. Fee waiver and refunds for commercial tourism daily passenger fees

Tourism businesses that operate in a national park, conservation park, recreation area or state forest, including whale watching operations, may have fees waived or refunded where those fees have (or will have) been incurred from tourism activities occurring between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022.

The Department of Environment and Science will be working with tourism operators that have a commercial activity agreement or permit on Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service managed areas and will contact individual operators to provide information about this support and how it can be accessed.

4. 12-month fee waiver or refund of inbound tour operator fees

The government has identified that ITOs may benefit from renewal application fees being waived (or where paid, refunded) to mitigate the impact this may have on their business.

To support this, we are waiving the registration fee for a 12-month period for ITO renewal applications lodged before 30 June 2022.

5. COVID-19 Marine Tourism Rebate

This support is available for offsetting the berthing fees for marine tourism vessel operators at privately owned or privately operated marinas in eligible local government areas between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022.

6. Liquor licensing fees waived for 2021–22

The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation will be waiving licence fees for the 2021–22 licence period for operators who were licensed under the Liquor Act 1992 or the Wine Industry Act 1994 as at 30 June 2021. If you have already paid your licence fees for the 2021–22 period, these will be refunded. Licensees that have not paid are no longer required to pay their fees. Application fees associated with changes to trading hours or licensed areas will also be waived between now and 30 June 2022.

QLD COVID-19 Cleaning Rebate

The Queensland COVID-19 cleaning rebate supports small and medium businesses and not-for-profit organisations that have been listed as an exposure site by Queensland Health. It will help cover professional cleaning expenses by providing a rebate of up to 80% of cleaning costs, capped at $10,000 (excluding GST) per incident, where a business is identified as a COVID-19 exposure site by Queensland Health.

Eligibility

Small and medium businesses and not-for-profit organisations can access a rebate after:

• Being listed as an exposure site on the Queensland Health contact tracing (exposure sites) – coronavirus website
• Undertaking a professional clean (also known as a 'deep clean') of the affected worksite in accordance with the Queensland COVID-19 cleaning, disinfection and waste management guidelines

This rebate applies to businesses that undertake an eligible professional clean in the 2021–22 financial year—this includes businesses that may have undertaken cleaning aligned to the South East Queensland and Townsville lockdown that commenced on 29 June 2021.

To be eligible, businesses (including sole traders) need to have a Queensland based business premises (i.e. principal place of business is located in Queensland) and an annual payroll in Queensland of not more than $10 million.

How to Apply

Applications can be made via Business Queensland’s website once applications have opened.

The above details are taken from the information available on Business Queensland’s website as at 17 August 2021. As details are continually being updated in response to the on-going impact of COVID-19, we recommend you continue to check the government website to ensure you are kept up to date with the current information available.

If you require assistance in determining your eligibility, assistance with the application process or an Accountant’s Letter, our team at BLG Business Advisers are Wollongong Accountants and are here to help so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

We wish you and your business every success!

*This information is relevant at the time of publishing and is subject to change*