NZ YOGA TEACHERS BEND OVER BACKWARDS TO PAY ACC LEVIES

Join Ali Hale Tilley from Sadhana Yoga NZ (www.sadhanayoganz.com) as she prepares to face the legal team from ACC - a multi-billion dollar Crown entity ...

According to ACC, “Yoga instruction" is deemed as risky as snow skiing instruction, kick-boxing instruction and teaching high-impact aerobics. Although Yoga teachers make very few ACC claims they are charged the same levy fees as community rugby.

This means that irrespective of qualifications, experience levels, or teaching methods,Yoga teachers are pigeon-holed by ACC − without specific industry classification − into the Levy Risk group of 'Sports and physical recreation instruction' (CU 84500), paying $1.37 for every $100 earned in ACC levies.

Meanwhile, dance and ballet teachers – a category that undoubtedly includes hip-hop, pole-dancers & twerking instructors – only pay $0.26 for every $100 earned. The same low fee applies to Fitness trainers who teach 'diet, exercise and lifestyle factors' under Adult community education. Likewise, Personal health and fitness trainers pay a levy of $0.40 per $100.

Yoga instruction also seems unfairly coded in terms of the rest of New Zealand. For example: sedentary lawyers and accountants in high stress jobs pay $0.04c; ACC workers and plastic surgeons pay $0.06; massage therapists $0.18; prostitutes $0.40; traffic police pay $0.44; fire-fighters $0.92; and professional netball players pay$1.31.

In fact, the only people paying higher ACC levies than Yoga teachers are professionals in high risk jobs such as rugby players, dairy farmers, motor racing trainers, and tow truck drivers.

Sign our online petition so that we can take our request for recoding to ACC's Legal Review.