The corona virus pandemic has, and continues to have, a significant impact on Victoria from both a health and economic perspective. The State Revenue Office has summarised the corona virus tax and fee relief measures that they are administering below:-

Land tax relief

Land tax, including vacant residential land tax, relief measures include:

  • Landlords who provide tenants impacted by the corona virus pandemic with rent relief, and those unable to secure a tenant because of the pandemic, may be eligible for a 25% or 50% reduction on the property’s 2020 land tax.
  • Owner-occupiers of commercial properties may also be eligible for a 25% reduction on the property’s 2020 land tax.
  • Waiving 2021 vacant residential land tax on residential properties in inner and middle Melbourne that were vacant for more than six months in 2020.
  • If landlords are not eligible for the above reductions, they still may be eligible to defer payment of their remaining 2020 land tax up to 31 March 2021.

Payroll tax relief

Payroll tax relief measures include:

  • Businesses with annual Victorian taxable wages up to $3 million will have their payroll tax for the 2019-20 financial year waived.
  • Exempting additional payments under the JobKeeper program from payroll tax.
  • Employers with payrolls up to $10 million can defer their 2020-21 payroll tax liabilities until the 2021-22 financial year. This means they can pay their 2020-21 payroll tax liabilities in four quarterly instalments in the 2021-22 financial year:-
  • Liabilities for July, August and September 2020 will be due on 7 September 2021.
  • Liabilities for October, Nov. and December 2020 will be due on 7 December 2021.
  • Liabilities for January, February and March 2021 will be due on 7 March 2022.
  • Liabilities for April, May and June 2021 will be due on 7 June 2022.

Other duty and levy relief

  • Commercial passenger vehicle service levy relief
  • Congestion levy relief
  • Liquor licence fee relief
  • Motor vehicle duty relief
  • Duty concession for commercial or industrial properties in regional Victoria
  • Australian Government’s HomeBuilder Grant