The Media Levy

The advertising industry’s self-regulatory system is funded by a levy added to advertising spend, it is collected by media agencies. The levy is set as 0.05% on gross media expenditure. That’s just $500 for every $1 million spent. The levy is applied to the gross media cost of all advertising communications, regardless of the media type.

The levy pays for the industry’s self-regulatory system run by the AANA and Ad Standards. The AANA writes the standards for advertising in collaboration with industry. Ad Standards independently adjudicates and resolves community complaints against those standards.

Levy Q&A

Why do we need a self-regulatory system for advertising?

The rationale for self-regulation is that it is a more efficient and effective system than either government regulation or no regulation at all. Ultimately, advertisers who believe in socially responsible advertising should be operating in accordance with prevailing community standards.

Why should advertisers pay the self-regulation levy?

As an advertiser, support of the self-regulation system through the payment of a levy is critical to ensure the advertising industry can continue to administer a national system of self-regulation and to provide assurance that the general standards of advertising are in line with community values. All participants in this industry benefit from advertisers paying the levy to fund self-regulation.

What is the levy used for and who decides how the levy is spent?

Australia’s advertising industry’s self-regulatory system has been operating since 1997. It’s a system that operates to the highest governance and integrity standards, delivering for all in the marketing eco-system and for the Australian community. This system includes adjudication of complaints from members of the public by members of the public, not bureaucrats or politicians.

Do you have more questions about the levy and how to contribute?

Our right to self-regulate is conditional upon us maintaining a world-class and well-respected system that provides appropriate funding for Code development and complaints-handling.