Minister Gives Notice of New and Increasing Fees and Recoveries

FINANCE--Minister Gives Notice of New and Increasing Fees and Recoveries

Finance Minister Neil LeBlanc today announced 24 revenue measures that will help balance the budget. The list includes new and revised cost-recovery measures totalling $17.8 million. Many of the changes announced today will be effective on April 1.

The revenue measures are mainly additions and changes to various licensing and administrative fees collected by six provincial government departments.

"We are introducing and changing some administrative and cost- recovery fees to reflect as much as possible the cost of providing these services," said the finance minister. "Nova Scotians want their government to apply common sense to managing the province's finances. They expect us to recover costs for services at a reasonable level to help offset the cost of providing those services. This is especially important given our current fiscal situation."

Mr. LeBlanc said the government has taken steps to consult with business and industry to the greatest extent possible to help minimize surprises and to allow time to better plan for the changes. He also noted that many of the measures will directly contribute to better safety and environmental protection for Nova Scotians.

Last week the government announced fee increases for Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy requests. An estimated $175,000 in revenues will be raised yearly as a result.

NOTE:Detailed schedules of the new and existing fees and recoveries are available for download from the Department of Finance Web site, www.gov.ns.ca/finance/pdf/realfees.pdf .