Agriculture Act 1970

13Provision for levy

(1)Before the beginning of each accounting period the Authority shall prepare and submit to the Ministers an estimate of the amounts, if any, required to be raised by levy for that accounting period for the purposes of the following functions respectively of the Authority under this Part of this Act, namely, subject to the provisions of section 10 of this Act—

(a)functions conferred by or under any provision of this Part of this Act other than section 3, 8 or 11 or paragraph (b) or (c) of section 17(1);

(b)functions under the said section 3 or paragraph (b) of the said section 17(1);

(c)functions under the said section 8 or paragraph (c) of the said section 17(1).

(2)As soon as practicable after the submission to the Ministers of estimates for any accounting period under subsection (1) of this section, the Ministers shall—

(a)determine the respective amounts, if any, to be raised by levy for that accounting period for the purposes of the functions referred to in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) respectively of that subsection; and

(b)make an order for that accounting period specifying such rate of levy as appears to the Ministers to be sufficient (but not more than sufficient) to meet the aggregate of the amounts so determined.

(3)If at any time during an accounting period for which an order has been made under subsection (2)(b) of this section it appears to the Authority that the amount determined by the Ministers under subsection (2)(a) of this section as the amount to be raised by levy for that accounting period for the purposes of the functions referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c), as the case may be, of subsection (1) of this section will fall short of the amount required to be so raised for that accounting period, the Authority may prepare and submit to the Ministers an estimate of the amount of the deficiency, and as soon as practicable after the submission to the Ministers of one or more estimates for any accounting period under this subsection the Ministers shall—

(a)determine what additional amount, if any, is to be raised by levy for that accounting period for the purposes of the functions referred to in the said paragraph (a), (b) or (c), as the case may be ; and

(b)make an order for that accounting period specifying as respects such part of that accounting period as falls after such date as may be specified in the order such rate of additional levy as appears to the Ministers to be sufficient (but not more than sufficient) to meet the amount or, as the case may be, the aggregate of the amounts determined under paragraph (a) of this subsection;

and where an order is made under this subsection the provisions of sections 15 and 16 of this Act shall have effect in relation to the part of that accounting period falling after the date so specified as if any reference in those provisions to the rate specified in the order for that accounting period made under subsection (2)(b) of this section were a reference to the aggregate of that rate and the rate of additional levy specified in the order under paragraph (b) of this subsection.

(4)Before determining any amount under subsection (2)(a) or (3)(a) of this section as one to be raised for an accounting period the levy for which is, by virtue of section 14 of this Act, to be imposed in accordance with section 16(7) of this Act, the Ministers shall consult with such organisations appearing to them to represent the interests of producers as the Ministers consider appropriate, and, if the levy will or may be imposed on persons other than producers, with such other organisations as the Ministers consider appropriate having regard to that fact.

(5)Where under subsection (2)(a) or (3)(a) of this section the Ministers determine that an amount is to be raised by levy for the purposes of the functions referred to in two or all of paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of this section, any order under subsection (2)(b) or (3)(b) of this section specifying the rate of the levy shall indicate how much of that rate is attributable to functions referred to in each respectively of those paragraphs.

(6)The rate of levy specified in any order under this section may be expressed either by reference to numbers of eggs or by reference to numbers of domestic fowl or partly in the one way and partly in the other; and the order shall include provision as to the manner of determining any such numbers for the purposes of the levy which, in the case of a levy to be imposed in accordance with a scheme under section 16 of this Act, may be made by reference to the provisions of that scheme.

(7)For the purposes of a levy, any sums paid by the Authority (whether by way of remuneration or otherwise) to or in respect of officers or servants of the Authority employed wholly or mainly in connection with functions referred to in paragraph (b) or (c) of subsection (1) of (this section and an appropriate proportion of overheads and other fixed and general expenses of the Authority (including an appropriate proportion of any sums paid as aforesaid in respect of other officers or servants of the Authority) shall be taken to be expenditure incurred for the purposes of those functions and not for the purposes of functions referred to in paragraph (a) of that subsection.