STATE farmers will benefit from simpler vehicle registration rules after changes to primary producer concessional registrations came into effect on 1 July.
NSW Farmers welcomed the updated eligibility requirements, which replace the previous 50 per cent primary production income rule introduced in 2021.
The organisation said the former rule created barriers for genuine farming businesses that had diversified their income to manage seasonal and market risks.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said the changes were the result of several years of advocacy with the NSW Government and Transport for NSW.
“We’re really pleased that the NSW Government and Transport NSW have aligned with the ATO definition rather than using other income rules to determine eligibility,” Mr Martin said.
“Income diversification has such an important role in modern businesses to manage ups and downs, and the previous requirement created unnecessary barriers to this common risk management strategy.”
The revised eligibility requirements now use the Australian Taxation Office’s definition of a primary producer, providing greater consistency across government agencies.
Mr Martin said concessional registrations remained an important support for farming businesses, particularly for vehicles used seasonally to transport produce and farm supplies.
“Concessional registrations continue to be an important tool used by farm businesses including for vehicles that may only be used on a seasonal basis for the purpose of transporting their produced commodities and farm inputs,” he said.
Mr Martin said NSW Farmers had consistently pushed for a practical and less complicated system.
“That’s why NSW Farmers has been advocating for simplicity and consistency with other government primary producer definitions to seek a practical solution for the definition used for transport purposes,” he said.
“The 50 percent income rule was not fit-for-purpose and it’s positive that the government has listened to our feedback and focused on reducing eligibility complexity for farmers.
“It’s a practical change that we’re pleased to have secured for farmers around the State.”
More information on the primary producer registration concession scheme is available through the NSW Government.
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