PROPOSED changes due to come into force in NSW from 1 July 2024 will see PWC licence fees increases up to 88 per cent and general boat licences increase by 30%.
Under the proposal, a 10-year licence fee for PWC will cost almost $2000!
THE Boating Industry Association (BIA) said the record increases to PWC licence and registration fees will directly impact the hundreds of boating and PWC businesses in NSW, the thousands of people they employ – including apprentice mechanics – and the hip pockets of more than 90,000 PWC licence holders and 460,000 boat licence holders across the State.
The BIA is still waiting on a formal response from the NSW Government after a meeting which also included a representative for all three Personal Watercraft brands – Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Kawasaki.
Faced with a looming deadline – and no indication as to whether the extra-ordinary price hikes will be reviewed by the NSW Government – BIA is encouraging boating and personal watercraft business owners, and PWC owners to contact their local NSW Member of Parliament and make their concerns known.
The NSW Government is proposing these substantial increases in PWC licences and registration fees even though it has already received a massive financial windfall after the number of PWC licence holders in the state grew by 44 per cent over the past five years. PWC certainly boomed in popularity following COVID-19 but sales have slowed over the past year impacted by cost of living pressures.
On the most conservative estimates, the NSW Government has already pocketed an extra $5.9 million each year, and yet with these astronomical fees it is coming back for more to make up for their own budget pressures.
Here is a quick recap of the changes to fees:
PWC licence fee increases in NSW from 1 July 2024:
- 1 year PWC licence: was $210, now $245 (up 17 per cent)
- 3 year PWC licence: was $460, now $662 (up 44 per cent)
- 5 year PWC licence: was $720, now $1042 (up 45 per cent)
- 10 year PWC licence: was $1043, now $1961 (up 88 per cent)
The NSW PWC licence fees compare to $124 for a lifetime licence for a PWC in Queensland, and $45 for a one-year licence for a PWC in Victoria.
General Boat licence fees increases in NSW from 1 July 2024:
- 1 year Boat licence: was $69, now $77 (up 12 per cent)
- 3 year Boat licence: was $185, now $220 (up 19 per cent)
- 5 year Boat licence: was $292, now $351 (up 20 per cent)
- 10 year Boat licence: was $521, now $679 (up 30 per cent)