New laws for road rules, payroll tax, cigarettes

Roadside workers are being given greater protection under one of a raft of new laws that came into effect this month. The state government announced that from 1 July, road rule 79A would be expanded for vehicles passing other vehicle incidents. Since 2017, motorists have been required to slow to 40kmh when passing police, emergency, enforcement, and VicRoads incident response service vehicles that had lights flashing and approach stationary emergency services or enforcement vehicles at a safe speed. The new law extends the 40kmh limit to include accident and breakdown towing, roadside assistance, as well as all incident response service vehicles. All vehicles now need to slow to that speed for any coloured flashing lights. Extended home leg up First home buyers will be helped with an extension of the Victorian Homebuyer Fund which was launched in 2021 and has helped over 15,400 Victorians buy a home. The short-term extension beyond June 30 will continue and is estimated to help 2600 homebuyers until the fund’s $2.8bn is exhausted. The scheme has so far allowed buyers to save and average of $3000 per year. Tobacco licence to combat contraband In a crackdown on the illicit tobacco trade and organised crime, retailers and wholesalers of tobacco products are now able to apply for a licence to sell their products as part of the state government’s new tobacco licensing scheme. Licences will be mandatory and enforced in Victoria from February 2026. Applicants will include supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor stores, petrol stations, and online retailers. Individuals found to be selling tobacco without a licence will face fines of up to $355,000 or up to 15 years in jail, while businesses will face fines of more than $1.7 million. Licences will only be granted to ‘fit and proper’ people who pass stringent testing. Small businesses to benefit from changes in tax, red tape A reduction in payroll tax for small businesses and the slashing of red tape for cafés, bars, and restaurants also came into effect on 1 July. The payroll tax-free threshold has lifted from $900,000 to $1m. The change will mean about 6000 businesses will no longer pay any payroll tax and a further 22,500 businesses will have their payments reduced – saving up to $14,550 per year. The change is designed to ease the startup or moving of businesses and boost the state’s economy. Also from 1 July, it will be faster and easier to open a restaurant to serve alcohol – and to expand dining outdoors. Businesses applying for a liquor licence will only require approval from Liquor Control Victoria and no longer in conjunction with that from their local council.

New laws for road rules, payroll tax, cigarettes

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