Tasmanian families who have a historic school levies debt will no longer have to repay under a plan to support economic recovery.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The state government announced on Tuesday it would be waiving historic school levies debts for families under support measures to assist the state on its road to recovery from the coronavirus.
Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the measure was designed to reduce financial pressures on families when they needed it most.
RELATED STORY: Second stimulus package announced
"The government hopes that by clearing these outstanding debts, we are providing Tasmanians with an extra element of support in resetting their financial plans as we recover together," he said.
Any parent or guardian with a school levies debt from 2019 or prior will have it waived under the new measure.
The Tasmanian Association of State Schools has pushed for a review of the public school levy system for a number of years, calling for an inquiry into the transparency of the system.
In February, Mr Rockliff said the government had updated its school levy policy last year and a number of recommendations were implemented following a review.
IN OTHER NEWS
These historical debts total about $2.8 million and cover nearly 13,000 outstanding individual debts.
This announcement follows the government's decision to refund all school levies for the 2020 school year, in response to COVID-19.
Families have already received their refund for levies paid.
About $9 million was refunded to about 21,000 parents as a result of the stimulus measure, and a further $5 million in outstanding amounts were waived, after the decision was made in March.
Some non-levy charges, for example where schools directly supply uniforms to students, will continue to be charged for 2020.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?: Join the conversation on Facebook