CANBERRA organisations will soon receive a payroll tax concession of up to $4,000 for employing school leavers with disability, the ACT government announced today.

The Government bill, passed in the Legislative Assembly this morning, means that organisations paying payroll tax in the ACT will be eligible for the concession for each school leaver with a disability employed.

ACT Treasurer Andrew Barr says people with a disability face “many barriers” to participating in employment.

“This can affect self-esteem, level of engagement with the community and result in higher rates of poverty,” he says.

“People with disability are an untapped resource in a tight labour market. Successive studies have found that people with disability are an asset in the workforce.

“This Payroll Tax Concession is an important step in encouraging our biggest businesses to benefit from the talents and skills of school leavers with disability.”

The Payroll Tax Concession, a $740,000 initiative over two years announced in the 2013-14 ACT Budget, will also support the important aims of increasing our community’s inclusion of people with disabilities and improving employment outcomes.

The Concession is expected to be available for organisations in 2014.