Sale of Helium Bill

A Bill TO

change the rate of tax on and to control the production of helium products with the introduction of the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’.

BE IT ENACTED by The Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Section 1. Definitions

a) For the purposes of this Bill, a balloon is an inflatable toy made primarily of rubber, latex, polychloroprene, aluminised plastic or a nylon fabric, of any size or shape.

b) For the purposes of this Bill, a canister of helium can be a pressurised container of any size or shape which functions as a storage unit for helium.

c) For the purposes of this Bill, a leisure canister of helium is any canister that has less than 65% helium.

d) For the purposes of this Bill, leisure purposes are any activities that do not have a meaningful purpose, other than for pleasure. This includes but is not limited to use in advertising, party balloons, high altitude filmography and meteorological studies. For the purposes of the Bill, normal temperature and pressure for helium gas has been defined as a pressure of 1 atmosphere and a temperature of 273ºK, or -.015ºC.

e) For the purposes of this Bill, normal temperature and pressure for liquid helium has been defined as a pressure of 1 atmosphere and a temperature of 4ºK, or -269.15ºC.

Section 2. Helium Recovery Scheme

a) The ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’ shall be created, its primary function will be to organise the installation of Helium Recovery Systems for businesses.

i) The scheme will be managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

b) The board shall be funded by monies raised through taxation and fines raised in accordance with the Helium Tax and new laws based around the sale of helium under sections (3a) and (6).

c) Businesses who wish to receive a helium recovery system must apply to the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’, 50% of the cost and installation of the system must be paid back.

i) The cost can be repaid either through an upfront lump sum payment, or an organised repayment plan agreed with the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’.

Section 3. Helium Tax

a) A new Helium Tax on a helium leisure related products is to be created at 50% of the cost of the product, this includes but is not limited to leisure/party balloons and canisters of helium designed for leisure use.

Section 4. Leisure Surcharge

a) A surcharge of £75 is applicable to the percentage of leisure helium sold by all retailers of leisure helium.

i) This surcharge shall be charged by percentage point of leisure helium sold.

ii) Only the percentage of leisure helium sold above 20% has the surcharge applied to it.

Section 5. Minimum Price

a) The minimum price for the sale of helium gas is £70 per cubic metre at normal temperature and pressure, and will be reviewed every 6 months based upon the current global supply and demand for helium.

i) The review shall be undertaken by the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’, and overseen by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

b) The minimum price for the sale liquid helium is £8 per litre at normal temperature and pressure, and will be reviewed every 6 months based upon the current global supply and demand for helium.

i) The review shall be undertaken by the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’, and overseen by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

c) Companies that use helium for scientific research and development may apply to the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’ for the permission to purchase helium below the minimum price.

i) When purchasing helium, hospitals, universities and schools can use their address to buy below the minimum price, without permission from the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’.

1) These institutions and others with permission from the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’ to buy below the minimum price are guaranteed a price at 20% below the current minimum.

d) The minimum price only applies to the quantity of helium in the canister, not the canister as a whole.

Section 6. Use

a) Canisters of helium designed for leisure purposes must have a maximum helium to air ratio of 65:35, where the quantity of helium is no more than 65% of the total product.

b) Canisters of helium designed for use in the medical, welding and magnet production, electronics, nuclear or aerospace industry can continue to use 100% helium.

c) No balloon for leisure purposes can have a volume of any more than 0.02 cubic metres at normal temperature and pressure.

Section 7. Offences

a) It is a criminal offence for any person, charity, company or other entity to use more than 65% helium for leisure purposes.

i) If found guilty, the entity can be fined up to £5000, and fees occurred through the courts and the recovery of the fine claimed from them.

b) It is a criminal offence for any person, charity, company or other entity to sell liquid helium for anything less than £7 per litre, or the price decided upon by the bi-annual review.

i) If found guilty, the seller can be fined up to £5000, and fees occurred through the courts and the recovery of the fine claimed from them.

ii) If found guilty, the buyer can be fined up to £5000, have all of the product purchased underprice recycled, and fees occurred through the courts and the recovery of the fine can claimed from them.

iii) Companies that have permission from the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’ to buy below the minimum price are exempt from this.

iv) Hospitals, schools and universities are exempt from this, and do not require permission from the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’ to buy below the minimum price.

c) It is a criminal offence for any person, charity, company or other entity to sell helium gas for anything less than £60 per cubic metre, or the price decided upon by the bi-annual review.

i) If found guilty, the seller can be fined up to £5000, and fees occurred through the courts and the recovery of the fine claimed from them.

ii) If found guilty, the buyer can be fined up to £5000, have all of the product purchased underprice recycled, and fees occurred through the courts and the recovery of the fine claimed from them.

iii) Entities that are selling to companies that have permission from the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’ to buy below the minimum price are exempt from this.

iv) Entities that are selling to hospitals, schools and universities are exempt from this.

d) It is a criminal offence for any company to fail to pay 50% of the grant from the ‘Helium Recovery Scheme’.

i) If found guilty, the company can be fined up to £50000, have the helium recovery system installed removed and have all fees occurred through the courts and the recovery of the fine claimed from them.

ii) This is with the exception of any company that is declared bankrupt.

e) It is a criminal offence for any person, charity, company or other entity to produce and/or sell balloons that are solely for leisure purposes that have a volume of above 0.02 cubic metres at regular temperature and pressure.

i) If found guilty, the producer and/or seller of the balloon can be fined up to £5000 and have all fees occurred through the courts and and the recovery of the fine claimed from them.

f) It is a criminal offence for any person, charity, company or other entity to manipulate or in any way fraudulently declare the percentage of leisure helium they have sold.

i) If found guilty, the seller of the leisure helium can be fined up to £5000, will have to pay all monies owed in taxes and have all fees occured through the courts and the recovery of the fine claimed from them.

Section 8. The Government of the United States

a) This government urges the federal government of the United States of America to review the sale of the National Helium Reserves, and to repeal the "Helium Privatization Act of 1996" (Public Law 104–273).

Section 9. Commencement, Short Title and Extent

a) This bill will come into force after a period of 2 months, beginning with the day on which it is passed.

b) This bill may be cited as the Sale of Helium Act 2015.

c) This bill extends to the United Kingdom of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This bill was submitted by /u/Djenial on behalf of the 4th Government.

The voting period for this bill will end on the 4th of December at 10PM GMT.