The Administrative Charge for Incorrect Declaration of SME Company Size has reduced
On 12 June 2015, ECHA’s Management Board has reduced the administrative charge for registrants that qualify for the EU definition of a micro, small or medium-sized (‘SME’) company, and came into force on 4 June 2015. From now, incorrect declaration of company size registrants can pay 2.5 times the financial gain (the difference between reduced SME fees incorrectly paid and the fees applicable to the correct company size category).
As we all know, SME companies can benefit from reduced fees under the REACH regulations. The reductions for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are 10%, 40%, and 70% respectively. If registrants that fail to demonstrate their entitlement to the claimed reduced SME fees, are required to pay the correct fee as well as an administrative charge.
The revised scales of the administrative charge are presented in the following table:
|
Size of company |
Administrative charge (€) |
| Large (non-SME)
If a large (non-SME) enterprise incorrectly claims to be an SME |
19,900 or 2.5 times the financial gain*, whichever is lower |
| Medium
If a medium sized enterprise incorrectly claims to be a small or micro sized company |
13,900 or 2.5 times the financial gain*, whichever is lower |
| Small
If a small enterprise incorrectly claims to be a micro sized company |
7,960 or 2.5 times the financial gain*, whichever is lower |
The new scales of the administrative charge now apply to company size verifications which have not yet been concluded.
Source: Verification of fee reductions – ECHA’s Management Board adjusts administrative charge levels
