City of Greater Bendigo under fire over effect on children of competition sports tax North Bendigo players Mitchell and Jackson (front row) with Ebony, Bailey, Chloe and Cayden (back row). Picture: Rob Leeson Source: Herald Sun PARENTS fear a sporting tax will keep young children out of competitive matches. The City of Greater Bendigo will charge $1 when children play competition sports on local ovals, athletic tracks and soccer fields, on top of registration fees. The cash will be used to fill council coffers from October but has outraged parents and sporting clubs. Clubs will be charged the tax by council and those costs may filter down to players and their families if a club passes them on. Team sports cost parents up to $160 a season for registration in Bendigo, which includes game fees. Some clubs charge extra for uniforms. Mum of three footy-playing teenagers, Gail Galvin, says the tax will put pressure on families with more than one child. Her boys play at North Bendigo Junior Football Club, which has many low-income-earning families who cannot afford the tax. Club president Tom Nicholson said the club subsidised fees for many of its disadvantaged players. We don't agree with it at all. Council should be encouraging kids to play sport not taxing them," he said. Every year, we struggle getting our registration fees, without having to tack on more. We have a lot of players with families that simply won't be able to afford those costs. The City of Greater Bendigo's Patrick Jess said adopting a user-pays system was part of balancing the council's budget. "I'm expecting there will be some resistance to it but the majority of sporting organisations have an understanding that facilities cost a lot of money to maintain and some contribution to using those facilities is expected," Mr Jess said. Greater Shepparton City Council charges an hourly rate for all users of sports facilities, with junior clubs charged $1 an hour for training sessions. Local Government Minister Jeanette Powell urged councils to be mindful when taxing children's sport.