Interest on costs in the Northern Territory should be calculated at a single average rate (based on the RBA cash rate plus an appropriate margin) applied broadly to the final assessed amount, rather than on an item-by-item basis. Interest generally runs from the date of the costs order, but where the successful party has delayed excessively in filing the summons for taxation, the commencement date will be adjusted forward to offset the unfair advantage — in this case, to six months before the filing of the summons. A reasonable time for preparation of a bill of costs is approximately six months.
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