Rates & spending · Toowoomba Regional Council
Toowoomba council card surcharge to drop to zero on 1 October
The 0.33 per cent surcharge will be switched off after 30 September, with council forecasting about $70,000 less surcharge revenue before any possible bank-fee savings.
Reporting from public council minutes. How this article was prepared
People paying Toowoomba Regional Council charges by card will no longer face the council’s 0.33 per cent surcharge from 1 October 2026, after the amended fee register was adopted by council on 15 September.
The surcharge is scheduled to be switched off after close of business on 30 September. The 2026/27 register applies the 0.33 per cent charge from 1 July to 30 September, then records no surcharge on card transactions from 1 October to 30 June 2027. The existing charge excludes EFTPOS debit transactions and on- and off-street parking fees.
The change was recommended by the Corporate Services Committee on 8 September before its recommendation was recorded as adopted at council’s ordinary meeting on 15 September. The report links the amendment to Reserve Bank of Australia reforms taking effect on 1 October.
Council forecasts surcharge revenue will fall from $105,000 to about $35,000, a reduction of approximately $70,000. The report says lower bank fees may offset part of that reduction, but gives no estimate of the potential saving.
The same register records a nil fee for online access to council’s Real Estate Portal under section 155 of the Local Government Regulation 2012. The portal provides property location and description, rates and charges information, water meter readings, land area and land valuation. Council’s report says it received more than 18,000 hits during the 2026 calendar year and provides free, 24-hour self-service access to the real estate and solicitor sectors.
What deserves a closer look
The record supports reporting the fee change as adopted, rather than only as a committee proposal.
The forecast revenue reduction is not a forecast of the council's final net financial impact because the report says lower bank fees may partly offset it without quantifying the saving.
The fee register records no surcharge from 1 October 2026 through 30 June 2027.
Questions for follow-up reporting
What reduction in bank fees will result from removing the surcharge?
What happens next
The report schedules the card surcharge to be switched off after close of business on 30 September 2026, with the amended register specifying no surcharge from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027.
Check the record
These passages were matched to the source text. Read them in context in the original minutes.
The report proposes changing the card surcharge from 0.33 per cent to nil effective from 1 October 2026, consistent with Reserve Bank of Australia reforms, and adding a nil charge for online Real Estate Portal access provided under section 155 of the Local Government Regulation 2012, formalising current practice.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY It is necessary to amend Council's 2026/27 Register of Fees and Charges relating to the provision of the Card Surcharge and the Real Estate Portal Access. The amendments are detailed as follows: •Card Surcharge - amend the current charge from 0.33% to nil effective from 1 October 2026 consistent with the reforms introduced by the Reserve Bank of Australia (announced by the Reserve Bank of Australia in March 2026 with effect from 1 October 2026). •Real Estate Portal Access (online) - add a nil charge for online access to the Real Estate Portal (formalising the current practice) where online access to the Real Estate Portal is provided under section 155 of the Local Government Regulation 2012.
Item No. 3, executive summary
Open original minutes ↗The committee recommended adoption of the fee-register amendments, and the record states that council adopted the recommendation at its ordinary meeting on 15 September 2026.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION That Council adopt the amendments to the 2026/27 Register of Fees and Charges (Attachment 2) with the date of effect being detailed in the Register. Page 6 of 18 Toowoomba Regional CouncilCorporate Services Committee 8 September 2026 COUNCIL DECISION - 15 SEPTEMBER 2026 (Corporate Services Committee - 8 September 2026 - Item No. 3) Committee Recommendation adopted by Council at its Ordinary Meeting of 15 September 2026. Page 7 of 18 Toowoomba Regional CouncilCorporate Services Committee 8 September 2026 CORPORATE PLAN REFERENCE 4.2Continue to pursue prudent financial management and sustainability.
Item No. 3, committee recommendation and Council Decision - 15 September 2026
Open original minutes ↗The report schedules the card surcharge to be switched off after close of business on 30 September 2026.
In working through the required changes with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the card surcharge fee will be 'turned off' following the close of business on 30 September 2026. It is anticipated that the resulting reduction in revenue from the card surcharge may be offset (at least Page 8 of 18 Toowoomba Regional CouncilCorporate Services Committee 8 September 2026 in part) by a reduction in bank fees incurred.
Item No. 3, Issues and Responses — Card Surcharge
Open original minutes ↗Forecast surcharge revenue will fall from $105,000 to approximately $35,000, a reduction of approximately $70,000, which lower bank fees may offset at least in part.
DELEGATION Nil. Page 9 of 18 Toowoomba Regional CouncilCorporate Services Committee 8 September 2026 FINANCIAL/RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS There will be financial/resource implications in respect to removing the Card Surcharge with the forecast revenue reducing from $105,000 to approximately $35,000 (i.e. reduction of approximately $70,000). It is anticipated that this reduction in revenue may be offset (at least in part) by a reduction in bank fees incurred. There is no financial/resource implication in respect to adding a nil charge for online access to the Real Estate Portal.
Item No. 3, Financial/Resource Implications
Open original minutes ↗The report describes the portal as providing property location and description, rates and charges information, water meter readings, land area and land valuation, and free 24/7 self-service to the real estate and solicitor sectors. It records more than 18,000 hits during the 2026 calendar year.
Real Estate Portal Access (online) The Real Estate Portal was launched by Council in March 2022 to provide an online service to the real estate and solicitor sectors in the provision of certain property information (property location, property description, rates and charges information, water meter reading, land area and land valuation). The Real Estate Portal received over 18,000 hits during the 2026 calendar year and provides a free 24/7 self-service to the real estate and solicitor sectors (directly reducing calls and enquiries to Council's Customer Service Centres).
Item No. 3, Issues and Responses — Real Estate Portal Access (online)
Open original minutes ↗The fee register lists a 0.33 per cent surcharge from 1 July to 30 September 2026, excluding EFTPOS debit transactions and on- and off-street parking fees, then no surcharge from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027.
i. GST applies to the surcharge fee dependent upon whether or not GST applies to the transaction Refer to basis and duration From 01/07/26 to 30/09/26 a surcharge of 0.33% will apply to the value of the card transaction made (excludes EFTPOS debit transactions and on-street / off- street parking fees). From 01/10/26 to 30/06/27, no surcharge will apply to the value of the card transaction. LGA s262(3)(c) CGST WATER CARD SURCHARGE 2026/27 Register of Fees and Charges Group: Corporate Services Branch: Financial Services CONVEYANCING QUESTIONNAIRES DEBT RECOVERY LAND RECORD SEARCH Page 14 of 18 Attachment 3 RBA Media Release - (Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging - Conclusions Paper) Page 15 of 18 !" # $%&'() *+*,-.+ / 01( 2.3456783*+*, 9:(;<(=()>(;?0@A;BC;D%=1)0EF0;G<?DH;:0=;1BI0J;K%'EF=:(I;0;LB@ME%=FB@=;N0K();O:FM:;=(1=;B%1;1:(;CF@0E I(MF=FB@=;BC;1:(;N0J&(@1=;PJ=1(&;?B0)I;GNP?H;B@;1:(;<(>F(O;BC;Q()M:0@1;L0)I;N0J&(@1;LB=1=;0@I
Attachment 2, 2026/27 Register of Fees and Charges — Card Surcharge
Open original minutes ↗Real Estate Portal Access is listed at no charge per property.
LGA s97(2)(c) CRNIL 4. Real Estate Portal AccessNo ChargePer property. Information available under the Real Estate Portal which includes property location, property description, rates and charges, outstanding balance, current water mter readings, land area and land valuation.
Attachment 2, 2026/27 Register of Fees and Charges — Real Estate Portal Access
Open original minutes ↗Source record
Reporting from the meeting report of Toowoomba Regional Council’s Corporate Services Committee on 8 September 2026, including the recorded council decision of 15 September 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- The 0.33 per cent card surcharge is to end from 1 October 2026, after being turned off following close of business on 30 September.
- Council adopted the Corporate Services Committee recommendation at its ordinary meeting on 15 September 2026.
- The surcharge revenue forecast is expected to fall from $105,000 to approximately $35,000, a reduction of about $70,000.
- The 2026/27 fee register records no charge for online Real Estate Portal access under section 155 of the Local Government Regulation 2012.
- Council says the portal received more than 18,000 hits during the 2026 calendar year and provides 24/7 access to specified property and rates information.
Why it matters
- Residents and businesses paying Toowoomba Regional Council charges by card will no longer pay the council’s 0.33 per cent surcharge from 1 October 2026. Council forecasts the change will reduce surcharge revenue by about $70,000, although lower bank fees may offset part of that amount.