LEGISLATION has been passed allowing businesses applying for the Export Market Development Grants scheme to take advantage of new scheme rules. The EMDG scheme, which is administered by export agency Austrade, encourages small and medium sized Australian businesses to develop export markets. The EMDG scheme reimburses small businesses for export-related expenses incurred in the previous financial year. The grant will be increased from $50,000 to $200,000, with the maximum turnover limit also being raised. The scheme is being made more accessible to services exporters by replacing the current list of eligible internal and external services with a new ‘non-tourism services’ category for suppliers targeting foreign residents, regardless of the location of operation. Businesses that apply to the 2008-09 grant year will be beneficiaries of the changes as the reforms apply to applications from July 1 2009 and export promotion expenditure incurred from July 1 2008. Applications for the 2007-08 grant round opened on July 1.
