Sea Fish Industry Act 1970

17 Authority's power to impose levies on white fish industry

(1) The Authority shall have power for the purpose of financing the discharge of their functions.—

(a) to impose a general levy on persons engaged in the white fish industry—

(i) in respect of white fish landed in Great Britain, at a prescribed rate not exceeding 2d. for each stone of white fish so landed ; and

(ii) in respect of white fish products so landed, at a prescribed rate in respect of each stone of the products;

(b) to raise by means of special levies imposed on such persons for the purposes of schemes such additional sums as the schemes authorise.

(2) The rate prescribed in relation to any white fish product for the purposes of subsection (1)(a)(ii) above shall not exceed an amount which in the opinion of the Authority would be yielded by a levy of 2d. on each stone of white fish required on average (whether alone or together with any other substance or article) to produce a stone of that product.

(3) The Authority may prescribe different rates of general levy for fish of different descriptions and products of different descriptions.

(4) The Ministers may by order provide that for references to 2d. in subsections (1) and (2) above there shall be substituted references to such larger sum as may be specified in the order.

(5) No order shall be made under subsection (4) above unless a draft thereof has been laid before, and been approved by, both Houses of Parliament.

(6) Any levy imposed by the Authority under this section shall be payable by such persons engaged in the white fish industry, in such proportions and at such times as may be prescribed or, in the case of a special levy, as may be provided by a scheme ; and the amount payable by any person on account of any levy so imposed shall be a debt from him to the Authority and recoverable accordingly.

(7) For the purposes of subsections (1) and (6) above parts of white fish shall be treated as products of white fish and not as white fish, notwithstanding anything in the definition of white fish in section 59 of this Act.

(8) References in subsections (1) and (6) above to persons engaged in the white fish industry shall be construed as including references to persons carrying on in Great Britain the business of buying the products of white fish by wholesale or of importing white fish or their products.