State based EV road user charge (Overturned 18/10/23)

[Vostok]

An update on this topic… the High Court has scheduled the hearing for February.

Electric vehicle tax unites states in High Court stoush against the Commonwealth

The largest constitutional battle in 25 years could reshape how road users are taxed in the post-petrol world.

www.smh.com.au

 

[maxkonji]

Road maintenance funding my arse
Roads are full of pot holes
Politicians and their stupid ideas…

Exactly.

It seems quite convoluted - certainly not thought out.

Budget Paper 1, Page 26:

The government is intending to introduce a road user charge for plug-in electric and zero emission vehicles. The charge will include a fixed component (similar to current registration charging) and a variable charge based on distance travelled. Electric vehicles do not attract fuel excise and therefore make a lower contribution to the cost of maintaining our road network. The proposed road user charge will ensure road maintenance funding is sustainable into the future.

I wonder if that includes or excludes PHEVs?

If it excludes PHEVs, you could buy one and run mostly on Electric power and fly under the radar.

If it includes PHEVs, do you pay Electric Tax on the kilometres for the year AND fuel excise on every litre of fuel you pump into it? Or do you have to keep a log book on your electric miles vs petrol miles?

 

[AussieOwner]

Road maintenance funding my arse
Roads are full of pot holes
Politicians and their stupid ideas…

Driving the country roads in Victoria is downright dangerous these days. I was driving through Castlemaine to Kyneton yesterday and its super dangerous with all the potholes that had to be dodged on a two-lane road most of the way.

 

[EcoCloudIT]

Update which I think we may all be aware of

 

[cafz]

Roads are full of pot holes

The amount of rain we've had across the east coast, there's no way any road maintenance could keep up with it unless you had half the state employed as road workers, sitting around with nothing to do 99% of the time.

 

[ZeeDoktor]

...and none of this was predictable of course, as practically all politicians have failed to accept any of the climate science that is well established and long known, the dim witted morons that they are.

A general science knowledge and logic comprehension test should be mandatory for all aspiring politicians.

 

[RareEarth]

A general science knowledge and logic comprehension test should be mandatory for all aspiring politicians.

Yes there are some who probably would have trouble with a basic climate science test but the main trouble is the amount of money being thrown around by those who seek to keep the status quo - the mining and oil sectors are very powerful and have deep pockets. Alas there are some car companies who also play this game.

Regardless of why the roads are in the state they are, there needs to be a vast amount spent to fix them, especially in the bush.

 

[ICUDoc]

practically all politicians have failed to accept any of the climate science that is well established and long known, the dim witted morons that they are.

Zee, I have to disagree with you there.
It is difficult to determine whether the pollies are stupid or self-serving. Maybe they understand and believe the climate data but are trying for short-term wins from re-election or business interests? And the future can go **** itself?
Short-sightedness and self-destructiveness are ever our greatest foes.

 

[ZeeDoktor]

In the face of anthropogenous climate change being the root cause of an extinction level process for billions of people on this planet, prioritising self-servedness over the greater good is a sign of diminished mental capacity - and yes, I perhaps overly colloquially characterised this as "dim witted". I'm not saying their disability is due to a fault of their own, perhaps they grew up with too much lead in the air and they now lack the 5 IQ points that would have kept them inside the standard distribution.

Road upkeep esp in rural areas of course is a major cost factor that needs to be budgeted for. Budgeting without taking increased frequency of severe weather events into account is going to fall short of what's safe, useful, and acceptable. But even in the cities roads are in abysmal conditions. Some of the worst roads I've encountered (and cracked rims on) are in the Sydney CBD and highways within 5km. There is no excuse for not fixing these issues daily, especially in the age of crowd sourced quality data. Waze can tell them within minutes of bitumen coming lose where an urgent fix is needed.

 

[ICUDoc]

I perhaps overly colloquially characterised

No, you got it just right: I was just pointing out that they might be arseholes, not just stupid. Let's agree that they are acting like both.

 

[jamesgo]

You know.. when this finally gets overturned i'm guessing we're not going to get all the money back from those mandatory card payment fees we have to pay to VicRoads

 

[Vostok]

You know.. when this finally gets overturned

My prediction, FWIW, is it won’t. The “vibe” of the hearings might provide some insight into the Court‘s thinking on the constitutional question at hand, and their questions might hint at a predisposition one way or the other, but we won’t really know until they release their decision after the hearing - which could be many months after Feb.

 

[paulp]

My prediction, FWIW, is it won’t. The “vibe” of the hearings might provide some insight into the Court‘s thinking on the constitutional question at hand, and their questions might hint at a predisposition one way or the other, but we won’t really know until they release their decision after the hearing - which could be many months after Feb.

Its going to be an interesting outcome. Victorian are effectively collecting tax from cars that leave victoria and then return from another state. Once transport becomes electric the problem will be even more amplified

 

[Burnt Toast]

Its going to be an interesting outcome. Victorian are effectively collecting tax from cars that leave victoria and then return from another state. Once transport becomes electric the problem will be even more amplified

Just paid my Vic road tax today, $550. A good $100 of that was a road trip up and around NSW. Geez I hate Dan Andrews.

 

[BreatheSafe]

Just paid my Vic road tax today, $550. A good $100 of that was a road trip up and around NSW. Geez I hate Dan Andrews.

You could always get TeslaFi or Tessie and use the detailed reports to deduct the trips outside of Victoria. Send that to Andrews...
It is a joke that they can charge road usage and collect a portion that doesn't belong to them.

 

[OzMaximus]

Just paid my Vic road tax today, $550.

Did you get an email to remind you to pay ? Or was it with rego
I recently paid my rego online, but haven't yet received any reminder or notice to pay. So I thought they had paused it until the court rules

 

[cafz]

It is a joke that they can charge road usage and collect a portion that doesn't belong to them.

It's not like you pay less rego if your car spent part of the year interstate either though.

 

[Lachlan Smith]

Registration merely pays for the administration costs of maintaining the vehicle in the vehicle register. It's certainly not enough to contribute to road construction cost.

 

[Burnt Toast]

Registration merely pays for the administration costs of maintaining the vehicle in the vehicle register. It's certainly not enough to contribute to road construction cost.

Neither is the EV tax. Road construction and maintenance comes from fuel excise which is a federal fund. It has nothing tp do with the state.

 

[Burnt Toast]

Did you get an email to remind you to pay ? Or was it with rego
I recently paid my rego online, but haven't yet received any reminder or notice to pay. So I thought they had paused it until the court rules

Yeah separate email.