WA Businesses – The State has some Relief

The Western Australian Government has announced measures to support small business during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The small business relief includes:

• $17,500 grants for small businesses with a payroll between $1 million and $4 million.
• The $1 million payroll tax threshold (announced in October 2019) will be brought forward by six months to 1 July 2020.
• The WA Government will waive rental payments for small businesses and not-for-profit groups in State Government-owned buildings for six months.

As well as the following measures announced on 31 March 2020:

• One-off $2,500 credit on electricity bills for small businesses that consume less than 50MWh per annum.
• Power and water disconnections will not occur and interest will not be charged on deferred payments until 30 September for small businesses facing financial difficulty due to COVID-19.
• Payroll tax will be waived for four months for businesses with annual wages under $7.5 million (NB: this replaces the previous payroll deferral measure which was announced).
• Affected businesses can apply for interest free payment arrangements and for late payment penalties to be waved for a range of taxes and duties, including payroll tax, transfer duty, landholder duty, vehicle licence duty or land tax.
• A range of business licence fees have been waived, including liquor licence renewal fees for 2020, which will be waived and refunds given to businesses that have already paid.

Payroll grant payments (updated 30 March)

Grants of $17,500 will automatically be paid by cheque to eligible businesses from July, however you should log in to Revenue Online to ensure your postal address is up to date. There may be delays for those whose tax status changed in 2018-19 or liability for payroll tax changed in 2018-19 or 2019-20.

Rent relief for WA Government commercial tenants (announced 30 March)

The WA Government will waive rental payments for small businesses and not-for-profit groups in State Government-owned buildings for six months to help these lease holders respond to the impacts of COVID-19.

The plan will benefit businesses such as convenience stores in train stations, cafés in government buildings, and restaurants in tourism precincts, such as Elizabeth Quay and Yagan Square. It will also benefit eligible small businesses leasing land from the State, such as caravan park and eco-tourism operators.

Source: https://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/blog/wa-coronavirus-relief-package