Australia - Agricultural insurance stamp duty should be abolished in wake of Boxing Day storms, QFF says

04.01.2018 105 views

ABOLISHING stamp duty on agricultural insurance in Queensland would help mitigate against natural disasters such as the Boxing Day storms which caused widespread damage to crops on the Burnett and Darling Downs, advocacy groups say.

Queensland Farmers Federation President Stuart Armitage said newly appointed Agriculture Minister Mark Furner should make it his first priority to abolish the tax, which pushed the cost of insuring crops out of reach for some growers.

“In light of the disaster that has happened in the Christmas, New Year period with people losing sheds, silos, and crops, I think this should be one of the first things the incoming Agriculture Minister should do, is get rid of stamp duty on those sorts of insurance,” Mr Armitage said.

“Stamp duty on that is nothing but a tax and there is no way people should have to pay a duty or tax on any effort to help them get through disaster.”

Mr Armitage in the cotton industry, some growers in the Darling Downs were spending $10,000 to $50,000 annually in stamp duty alone.

“It’s a pretty big number for some of the bigger operators in this part of the world.”

Mr Armitage said only 50 per cent of growers at Cecil Plains had crop insurance in the 2015 storm and he expected that would be much the same for those impacted by the Boxing Day storm.

“People who have got full insurance in this latest round of storms have the confidence to keep on going,” Mr Armitage said.

“For a 10 per cent price reduction to the cost of insurance it would make it more palatable to land holders to mitigate against risk.

“On behalf of the QFF, and in particularly cotton and also grain industries this time, the Government needs to do what they have done already in Victoria and NSW which is get rid of it.

“I think it’s incumbent upon the landholders to remove risk by insuring if they can afford it, but it’s also incumbent on the government not to tax, which decreases the willingness to take out insurance.”

Mr Armitage said ensuring agricultural assistance was affordable to farmers would mean less reliance on the public purse in times of disaster, which was a win for government.

“If we’re looking at further disaster insurances now, for frost or drought insurance, if these sort of insurances became an affordable reality, then the Government may be able to close the door on things like drought assistance,” he said.

“It’s a big advantage to government. we were fully insured two years ago when we got wiped out, and our operation didn’t take a backward step. We were able to continue to spend into the community as we normally did, so a disaster like that does not necessarily have that flow on effect.”

Mr Armitage said both major parties had committed to looking at policy change surrounding agricultural insurance stamp duty during the State election campaign, and it was time for the new State Government to put their money where their mouth is.

“It is something we’ve been asking for a number of years and they picked it up in our election campaign policy,” he said.

“They’ve asked QFF for the costing of it and we’ve done it since the election.

“I think we can realisticly expect the removal of stamp duty within the next six months and it is something the incumbent Agricultural Minister should be looking at at his earliest convenience.”

Source - http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au
27.03.2024

Turkey - Climate change may affect grape cultivation

A recent study has highlighted the impact of the climate crisis on viticulture in Turkey, predicting that the expected rise in temperatures and reduced rainfall could shift the suitability of vineyard regions for grape production over the next three decades.

27.03.2024

Crop crisis reveals El Niño’s toll on Southern Africa

New findings from the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso) reference group highlight the significant impact of the 2023/24 El Niño event on various aspects of climate and agriculture in Southern Africa.

27.03.2024

Philippines - Crop losses reach P80M as drought hits Negros Oriental

As the El Niño phenomenon worsens in Negros Oriental, damage to rice, corn, and other high-value crops has reached more than PHP80.4 million, the Department of Agriculture-Provincial Agriculture Technology Coordinating Office (DA-PATCO) said Tuesday.

27.03.2024

USA - Farmers say coverage has become unavailable or unaffordable as drought and floods increasingly threaten their crops

Farmers who grow fresh fruits and vegetables are often finding crop insurance prohibitively expensive — or even unavailable — as climate change escalates the likelihood of drought and floods capable of decimating harvests.

27.03.2024

India - Telangana Minister assures financial support for rain-affected farmers

Telangana Excise and Prohibition Minister Jupally Krishna Rao has assured the farmers that the government is committed to providing financial help to the cultivators whose crops were damaged due to unseasonal rains.

27.03.2024

Australia - Managing canola pests using beneficial insects, spiders and mites

Australian grain growers will benefit from improved pest management strategies with the commencement of two new research projects focusing on beneficial insects (beneficials) in canola.

27.03.2024

USA - Early blooms indicate strong fruit year if frost, freeze can be avoided

Warm temperatures in late February and early March have led fruit trees across Virginia to blossom early. Based on what growers are seeing, the number of blooms indicate at banner crop. However, there is a risk a portion of that crop could be wiped out by a freeze or frost.

27.03.2024

USA - As winters warm, Wisconsin fruit growers brace for the worst

On a cool, early spring morning in March, Liz Griffith stands among her apple trees, reaching to the very highest branches with a pole saw. Birds that have already returned north call to each other over the “snip snip” of shears, as Griffith and her staff prune through eight acres of apple trees on her orchard in Cottage Grove.

istanbul escort şişli escort tbilisi escort şişli escort şişli escort maslak escort istanbul escort beşiktaş escort taksim escort izmir escort ümraniye escort mecidiyeköy escort şişli escort taksim escort ümraniye escort kartal escort şirinevler escort maltepe escort istanbul escort ümraniye escort kadıköy escort vip escort mersin escort istanbul escorts ataköy escort avcılar escort beylikdüzü escort okmeydanı escort şişli escort tuzla escort işitme cihazı sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop sex shop