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22 September 2008
Welcome to the first bulletin from Screen Australia's Producer Offset and Co-production Branch, designed to keep you up-to-date with new developments, new resources, information and advice on Australia's Producer Offset incentive.
If you don't wish to receive future bulletins, please send an email to produceroffsetenquiries@screenaustralia.gov.au with 'unsubscribe' in the subject field.
As you may be aware, Screen Australia's Sydney staff are all now located in William Street, Woolloomooloo, with central reception at 150 William Street, on level 4, where the AFC used to be.
The Producer Offset and Co-production Branch is actually in the building next door, 140 William Street, on Level 1. If you're visiting us in person, you can come directly to 140 (on level 1, turn left out of the elevators) without registering at reception.
Full contact details are listed at the end of this email.
We've finally released a long-gestating document called At a Glance: a Quick Reference Guide to the Producer Offset. This guide provides easy access to useful definitions and help with interpreting terms, particularly in relation to Significant Australian Content (SAC) and Qualifying Australian Production Expenditure (QAPE). We intend to keep updating it as new questions are asked, new issues come to light and the administration of the Offset continues to develop. If you have any comments on this document, please let us know at produceroffsetenquiries@screenaustralia.gov.au.
We've also recently released an amended Producer Offset Final Certificate Application Form and Final QAPE spreadsheets. We strongly recommend downloading a new application form each time you apply for the Offset to ensure you're completing the most recent version.
All these documents are available through www.screenaustralia.gov.au/producer_offset
The treatment of GST in applications for provisional and final certification seems to be causing confusion. Here's some advice:
The Producer Offset is GST-inclusive, and GST paid on QAPE items is also QAPE regardless of whether that GST is claimed as an input tax credit or not. This means that if you spend $100 on an item which is QAPE-able and pay $10 GST, you can claim $110 as QAPE in your Final Certificate. We would expect to see a breakdown of all QAPE/non-QAPE items plus GST in the final documentation (this is covered in the Final QAPE spreadsheet mentioned above). This means that many production companies may have to amend the way they keep their ledger to take account of GST paid on QAPE items. We recommend you consult with your accountant about the best way of doing this.
For provisional certification, however, we recommend that you do not include GST in your application. The reason for this is three-fold: firstly, budgeting software does not include GST; secondly, it is quite difficult to forecast what expenditures will attract GST; and thirdly, it means you have effectively built an additional amount into your budget that you will receive when your project is issued with a Final Certificate and the Offset is paid. It therefore provides a buffer that will deliver, in most cases, more than you budget for from the Offset.
The timeframe for assessing Final Certificate applications is approximately eight weeks from when we receive a complete application with all attachments. If you have any queries about the process please do not hesitate to contact the Producer Offset and Co-Production Branch.
Finally, an important principle to be aware of: Screen Australia's administration of the Producer Offset is separate from any consideration of Screen Australia investment or other support. Provisional certification in no way implies that Screen Australia will invest or provide any support to your project. Also, the Producer Offset and Co-Production Branch cannot endorse projects for investment or other support.
Screen Australia has released its draft Statement of Intent for 2008/09, in response to the Minister’s Statement of Expectations. The draft SOI sets out preliminary thinking within Screen Australia on the shape of its future programs. Comments are invited until 30 September 2008. More details.
Street |
Level 1, 140 William St |
Post |
GPO Box 3984 |
Ph |
+61 2 8113 1042 |
Fax |
+61 2 8113 5999 |
Switch |
+61 2 8113 5800 |
Producer Offset |
www.screenaustralia.gov.au/producer_offset produceroffsetenquiries@screenaustralia.gov.au |
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Co-productions |
www.screenaustralia.gov.au/copros copros@screenaustralia.gov.au |
The Producer Offset and Co-production Branch is: Alex Sangston, Head; Richard Cohen, Acting Co-production Manager; Susan Wells, Michele McDonald, Felicity Rennie, Producer Offset and Co-production Assessment Officers; Marsha White, Producer Offset and Co-production Coordinator.
