There is no increase in the employers levy - it remains the same. With respect to the self-employed and the earners levy increase, these were in line with the recommendations of the Department of Labour.

What is the difference between pay-as-you go and full funding?

Under pay-as-you-go ACC collected levies to meet the costs of all claims managed in that year. No reserves are required to fund the existing claims liability.

Under full-funding ACC must collect the full cost, for the life of the claim, for injuries that occur in the levy year. This requires ACC to establish reserves to meet the future costs of current claims.

Do the levies include the expected impact of changes in the range and scope of benefits contained in the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2001?

Yes these changes have been taken into account.

What is the government doing to reduce the cost and number of claims?

The government has worked with ACC to establish programmes to encourage employers to improve their injury prevention and injury management. The programmes include ACCWorkplace Safety Management Practices and ACCPartnership Programme.

These measures along with the new health and safety legislation combine to make our workplaces safer.

ACC is also working to reduce injuries on the road, in the home, on the sports fields and in the community. ACC is also developing a New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy.

How can employers and self-employed people find out their individual levy classification rates?

The new rates can be found on ACC's website www.acc.co.nz from Wednesday 5 December.