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The Information Commissioner has launched a public consultation on proposed changes to the registration fees paid by organisations to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The review aims to ensure the ICO remains independent and adequately resourced to meet its statutory obligations, including the requirement not to rely too heavily on government funding.
The current fee structure, last updated in 2018, consists of a flat £70 registration fee and a £50 renewal fee - amounts unchanged since 2011.
Meeting these obligations is essential to maintaining the Isle of Man’s ‘data adequacy status’, which allows businesses to transfer personal data freely to the UK and the European Union without additional safeguards or bureaucracy.
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Under the proposals, the ICO would introduce a tiered fee system that better reflects the size and risk profile of organisations. Small businesses with fewer than ten employees would pay £75, medium-sized organisations with between 11 and 49 staff would pay £150, and large businesses with more than 50 employees would pay £2,400. Isle of Man public sector bodies would be charged a group fee of £300,000, while charities and non-profits would be exempt.
The changes would bring the island in line with similar models already in place in Jersey, Guernsey and the UK.
Information Commissioner Dr Alexandra Delaney-Bhattacharya said: ‘The Isle of Man’s adequacy status is crucial to the Manx economy, enabling seamless data flows to the UK and Europe without additional red tape.
‘To preserve this status, the Isle of Man must continuously demonstrate that its data protection framework remains robust, independent and capable of meeting the demands of an increasingly complex digital landscape.
‘It doesn’t seem fair to charge both a sole trader and a large bank the same amount. We are therefore proposing a fairer, tiered system where larger organisations pay more, reflecting the greater data risk and regulatory oversight they require.’
The consultation is now open, and the ICO is encouraging feedback from businesses, public bodies and the wider community via its website at consult.gov.im.