Club levies held; other fees increased

Press, 6 May 1981, Page 31

Club levies held; other fees increased

By G. K. YULE Clubs, which this season had to face increases of up to 50 per cent in levies imposed by the Trotting Conference, are unlikely to have to pay significantly greater amounts in 1981-82, according to a decision of the executive made at a meeting in Christchurch last week. However, fees imposed on individuals for transactions with the conference, are to be increased significantly. The new fees will come into effect on June 1. In a circular to clubs, the conference says that capital expenditure in excess of 5400,000 has been incurred in the past four years, and interest charges in the current financial, year would be greater than $21,000. Club levies had been increased to accelerate the rate of debt repayment, but increasing overheads had prevented a more rapid recovery. The executive felt it was not realistic to ask clubs to meet additional levies in a period of economic difficulty when turnovers were increasing at a low rate. Because of this it was intended to recommend to the annua! meeting, to be held in Wanganui in July, that club levies be held at their present level. Accordingly, it was decided that other components

of trotting will meet a greater share of operating the conference. A comprehensive study was mad® of the fees imposed by various controlling authorities throughout the world, and it was decided that the charges in New Zealand would be adjusted to bring them mote into line with those in the various states in AustraliaIt was shown that trotting clubs had been meeting an increasing proportion of the conference cost?. Levies last year made up 7? per cent of the total income, compared with slightly more than 60 per cent a few years earlier. The executive felt that the new scale of charges would ensure a more balanced distribution of costs over the whole industry. One of the most significant increases will apply to export fees, which in. the last financial year brought in $49,796. It will now cost $3OO to export a horse to North America, against $lOO, while export fees to other countries, including Australia and Macau, will be $5O, against $25. ■ There will be a 33 pgr cent increase in the costs of registering foal?. These will now cost $4O, against $3O. Last season tpis source brought in $115,156 to the conference coffers. Transfer fees, which . last

I year brought in $19,544, i have been increased from $5 Ito $2O, as have the costs of registering a joint interest. The fees for joint interests amounted to $7980 in 197980. Licence fees for a professional trainer will remain at $3O, while those for an amateur have risep by SIQ to §3O. Professional horsemen will now pay $3O, instead of $2O, while amateur horsemen will also pay $3O, but previously they paid only $lO. Fees for judges and starters have gone up from §5 to $2O, while those for stablehands will be $lO instead of $5.