Wine producers, with cellar doors attracting visitors to wine regions, may be eligible for Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grants of up to $100,000 based on sales in the 2018‑19 year.
The grants are part of changes introduced to Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) rebates in the 2018-1 year and are aimed at companies selling more than $1.207 million in rebateable* wine sales during the financial year.
Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer, Andreas Clark, said the $10m grant package was aimed at companies that had their own cellar doors and were attracting visitors to regions, hence physical sales at cellar doors were part of the grant determination criteria.
“The Australian Government, through the $50 million Package, has committed significant funds to promoting Australian wine overseas and to building tourism and export capacity and capability within the wine sector – this package is another aspect of that strategy,” he said.
Clark urged wine producers to prepare prior to the end of the financial year so that they could meet the eligibility criteria and lodge their applications before applications closed at the end of September.
To be eligible for a Cellar Door Grant, applicants must:
- be a wine producer
- have made at least $1,207,000 (GST exclusive) in sales of rebatable wine in the relevant financial year
- have accrued rebatable domestic cellar door sales in excess of any such sales used to meet the $1,207,000 (GST exclusive) threshold in the relevant financial year
- have paid the WET on all eligible sales used as part of the application
- have owned or leased a physical cellar door in Australia in the relevant financial year and/or their related entity/ies have owned or leased a physical cellar door in Australia in the relevant financial year, and
- have a liquor licence valid in the relevant financial year.
Australian Grape and Wine Inc also welcomed the announcement, with CEO Tony Battaglene, saying: We are pleased that applications for this grant to boost regional tourism has been announced, and we encourage all eligible producers to submit their application within the allocated timeframe.
“We remain concerned that many producers who should be eligible for the top-up won’t have the appropriate accounting systems in place to take advantage of the grant. It is important that producers check the eligibility criteria carefully and ensure they take full advantage of the grant.”
Applications for grants for the 2018‑19 financial year, will open on 1 July 2019 and close at 5.00 pm (ACST) on 30 September 2019. Applications received after the closing time will not be considered.
Information on the grants, eligibility criteria, and how to apply can be found at: www.wineaustralia.com/wine-tourism-and-cellar-door-grants.