BILL NO. 34
(as introduced)
1st Session, 59th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
52 Elizabeth II, 2003
User-fees Disclosure Act
Graham Steele
Halifax Fairview
First Reading: October 28, 2003
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
An Act to Provide for the
Full Disclosure of User Fees
Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as the User-fees Disclosure Act.
(a) "Minister" means the Minister of Finance;
(b) "revenue source" includes the revenue amounts contained in the estimates for a fiscal year and user fees;
(c) "user fees" means the charges to individuals, corporations and others for the use of Government facilities and includes fees for licences, permits, registrations and certificates and fees charged for public-sector services including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, fees associated with hospitals and schools.
3 (1) Each year the Minister shall table in the House of Assembly, at the same time as the Public Accounts are tabled, a report setting out the revenue sources for each department of Government and every agency, board and commission of the Government.
(a) a complete list of all revenue sources, including the amount of actual revenue for the previous fiscal year, a forecast for the current fiscal year and an estimate for the following fiscal year;
(b) an explanation of what costs are covered by the revenue source, what percentage of the revenue source is cost recovery and what percentage goes into general revenue; and
(c) the statutory authority for the revenue source.
(3) Where any of the information referred to in subsection (2) cannot be provided, the report shall include the reasons for the omission.
(4) The report shall contain a list of revenue sources that are new for the year or that have been altered from a previous year and an explanation or rationale for the new revenue source or change.
4 The report referred to in Section 3 shall be audited by the Auditor General.
5 (1) On the coming into force of this Act, the Minister shall undertake a review of all existing non-tax revenue sources to determine whether the revenue source covers the actual costs of providing a service or returns an amount greater than the cost of providing the service.
(2) The results of the review shall be tabled in the House of Assembly at the same time as the report referred to in Section 3 is tabled.
6 (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations
(a) defining any word or expression used but not defined in this Act;
(b) the Governor in Council deems necessary or advisable to carry out effectively the intent and purpose of this Act.
(2) The exercise by the Governor in Council of the authority contained in subsection (1) is regulations within the meaning of the Regulations Act.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2003 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created October 28, 2003. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
