WHAT WAS CLAIMED
The Queensland government is proposing a $365-per-year surfing tax.
OUR VERDICT
False. No such proposal exists.
AAP FACTCHECK - A hoax about surfers facing a $365-per-year tax to hit the waves is being shared on social media.
Queensland state and local government politicians have dismissed the claim as baseless, and there is no credible evidence that such a tax or fee has been proposed or considered.
The claim about a state-wide surfing fee appeared in an Instagram video in which a man, who appears to be driving a car, warns viewers about "another tax".
"The Queensland government is proposing - that means they're trying to push it through - a tax for surfing," the man says.
"To grab your board and just go into the ocean, they want to tax you $365. That's a dollar each day just to go for a surf."
"Once that goes through, they're going to push through for swimming, down to the stage where if you're walking along your favourite beach and walking into the water, you'll be charged if you haven't got a swimming licence or a surfing licence."
There is no evidence of such a tax being proposed and Queensland Treasury confirmed the claim is false.
"There is no consideration of a Queensland Government tax on surfing," a spokesperson told AAP FactCheck.
Queensland Water Minister Ann Leahy also dismissed the claim.
"I reckon whoever is making that claim is jumping the shark because it doesn't hold water and is untrue," Ms Leahy told AAP FactCheck.
A previous Facebook post in a community surfing group claimed Sunshine Coast Council was proposing a compulsory $365 surfing licence to fund the maintenance of pathways, car parks and other facilities.
A screenshot of the post has been shared on social media, but the original post appears to have been deleted.
But Sunshine Coast councillors said the claim was a hoax.
Councillor Taylor Bunnag said in a Facebook post that no surfing licence or fee was proposed in the council budget.
"I seriously can't believe I have to write this - what a wild time to be alive and hard to comprehend that people are happy to spread misinformation to such a degree for their own enjoyment," Cr Taylor wrote.
Fellow Sunshine Coast councillor Tim Burns also took to Facebook to dismiss the claim.
"There is NO surfing tax or whatever it's being called, " Cr Burns wrote.
The user who made the original false claim about a Sunshine Coast surfing tax commented on Cr Bunnag's post that it had "provided more enjoyment than I ever could have imagined".
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