Some businesses with a 40 per cent revenue reduction from COVID-19 in either December or January will be able to apply for financial support from a $5 million NT Government package Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced on Friday.

Mr Gunner said in a statement applications for the program will begin at 10am on Monday, and eligible business owners who have a payroll below $5 million, could have their payroll tax waived for the first three months of 2022.

They can also receive a one-off grant of $1,000 for sole traders, and $3,000 for businesses that employ people, he said, and they would get 30 per cent off their utility bills.

To qualify for the grants, Mr Gunner said businesses must be Territory-owned and actively trading with an annual turnover between $75,000 and $10 million.

Mr Gunner said they would need to prove their turnover reduced by 40 per cent in December or January, compared to the equivalent period in 2019-20.

“The package is designed to help reduce costs for local businesses to keep them open and operating, and ensure Territorians stay in jobs and continue working,” Mr Gunner said.

Last week, Hospitality NT cheif executive Alex Bruce said NT hospitality venues reported the lowest trade in years over the last couple of weeks.

“Staff are losing shifts, both from loss of trade and when they become household contacts [of COVID-19], and we face losing staff and businesses the longer this goes on,” Mr Bruce said in a statement.

“Tradies in central Australia who face disruption to their bush work from all the lockouts and lockdowns have started reaching out to venues to see if there is any work needing to be done but unfortunately our tills are empty, and reserves are fast depleting.”

The statement also called for a plan for an end to COVID-19 restrictions for people who “thought that if they got vaccinated their lives could return to normal”.

For more information visit the NT Government website.