How is the sector funded?

From July 1 1999, the fire services levy on insurance premiums was replaced with a new broader based emergency services levy on property. The Emergency Services Levy funds the provision of emergency services in South Australia so they can continue to save lives and property and applies to all fixed property and some mobile property.

The money collected by the Emergency Services Levy is placed into a dedicated fund for the exclusive use of the emergency services including:

• Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS)
• Country Fire Service (CFS)
• State Emergency Service (SES)
• Volunteer Marine Rescue SA
• SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM)

and the rescue components of:

• Surf Life Saving South Australia (SLSSA)
• South Australian Police Rescue
• the State Rescue Helicopter Service.

RevenueSA has been appointed by the Government as the collection agency for the fixed property component of the levy payable under the Emergency Services Funding Act 1998 (The "Act").

The levy is expected to raise $216.3 million during the 2009/2010 year, of which approximately $97.9 million will be met by the State Government and represents compensation of the fund for concessions to pensioners, payment of liability on its own property and remissions to a variety of property owners.

Emergency Services Levy expenditure is distributed as per the below table:

To find out more about the Emergency Services Levy, please visit the RevenueSA website.