277Levies

1. For the purpose of providing funds for the Council in accordance with its annual budget, the Council of the New Zealand Law Society must, in each year, by resolution, impose a levy or levies on all lawyers.

2. Subject to subsection (4), the levy or levies imposed under subsection (1) may not exceed in the aggregate, in any year in respect of any lawyer, an amount equal to 5% of the maximum practising fee payable by any lawyer for that year.

3. Any levy imposed under subsection (1) on any lawyer in any year is in addition to levies imposed on that lawyer in that year under section 74.

4. The limitation imposed by subsection (2) does not apply in relation to any year if—

5. that limitation would prevent the levies being sufficient to provide the amount of funding sought by the Council in respect of that year; and
6. the Minister determines that, instead of that limitation, the levy or levies imposed under subsection (1) in respect of that year are not to exceed in the aggregate in respect of any lawyer an amount equal to such percentage as the Minister determines of the maximum practising fee payable by any lawyer for that year.

7. The proceeds of any levy imposed under subsection (1) must be paid by the New Zealand Law Society to the Council.

8. The amount of any levy imposed under subsection (1) is payable in such manner as the resolution prescribes or authorises and is recoverable on behalf of the New Zealand Law Society as a debt due to it.

9. A resolution under this section is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).