How Much Will The Fire Services Levy Cost ?

From 1 July, 2013 the Fire Services Levy will be removed from insurance premiums and will instead be collected through council rates as recommended by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

This means all property owners will contribute to funding Victoria’s fire services, not just those with adequate insurance.

The levy will appear on your council rate notice for the first time this year and all money collected will go directly to the State Government.  And for the first time eligible pensioners and veterans will receive a concession.

The Levy funds the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), based on the location of your property.

The Levy is made up of two parts:

1. A fixed charge of $100 for residential properties including vacant residential land and $200 for non-residential properties;

2. Plus a variable change based on the value of your property.  The variable cost is calculated depending on the type of property you own, its capital improved value (CIV) and which fire service covers your area.

In the City of Ballarat, the variable rate for residential properties is 11.5 cents per $1,000 of capital improved value, for commercial properties 109.2c per $1,000 of capital improved value and for industrial properties 170.9c per $1,000 of capital improved value.

For a Residential property with a CIV of $350,000 the cost will be $140.25.

For a Commercial property with a CIV of $350,000 the cost will be $582.20.

For an Industrial property with a CIV of $350,000 the cost will be $798.15.

To calculate the fire levy for your property the Click Here

More information about the Fire Services Levy can be found at http://www.firelevy.vic.gov.au or the City of Ballarat website