Australian Politics Forum
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl
General Discussion >> Federal Politics >> Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1614888237

Message started by whiteknight on Mar 5th, 2021 at 6:03am

Title: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by whiteknight on Mar 5th, 2021 at 6:03am
Mar 4, 2021 New Daily
Federal Greens fight state governments’ attempts to tax electric vehicles


Australia is on the cusp of becoming the first country in the world to discourage the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) through targeted road-user charges.   :(

The state governments of Victoria and South Australia have proposed new levies on low-emission vehicles to compensate for their avoidance of fuel excise tax, with both state treasurers justifying the policies as an attempt to ensure all motorists pay their fair share for road maintenance.

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said in November that the proposed levy – which would come into effect on July 1 and charge EV users 2.5 cents for every kilometre they travel – would raise $30 million over four years and cost the average motorist between $260 and $300 a year.

He told The New Daily on Thursday, however, that the levy would raise less revenue than the $45 million the state government had put towards policies supporting greater EV uptake.

But Victorian Greens senator Janet Rice has tabled a bill before the Senate to discourage the states from going ahead with their plans, arguing they would dissuade people from buying EVs and hamper the move to net-zero emissions.

Senator Rice’s bill seeks to establish a new condition on financial assistance provided by the Commonwealth government to neutralise the revenue effect of “taxes and charges imposed by states and territories on the purchase and use of electric vehicles”.

If passed, the legislation would see the Commonwealth deduct any revenue raised from taxing EVs from the amount of money it would normally pay the state that raised this revenue.

“We can’t stop the state governments from doing it. But the feds would be able to make it not worth their while financially,” Senator Rice told The New Daily. 


Energy Minister Angus Taylor says his government supports ‘consumer choice’ rather than directly encouraging EV uptake.
The bill will be reviewed by the Senate Standing Committee on Economics, which received submissions from the public up until Thursday.

Richie Merzian, climate and energy program director at the Australia Institute, welcomed the bill but said state and federal governments must do more to encourage car makers to export to Australia the most sustainable and affordable-to-maintain electric vehicles.

He said a hostile policy environment and lack of fuel efficiency standards meant Australia was now “a dumping ground for dirty cars”.

“Right now, it is just plain unfair that states like Victoria or South Australia are likely to receive the same share of GST revenue as they have in the past, and then [gain] additional revenue from EV taxes on top,” Mr Merzian said.

“Unfortunately the federal government is nowhere when it comes to EVs. This bill puts them in the driver’s seat, at least when it comes to stopping the states from making things worse.”   :(

His comments come after the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) on Wednesday released data showing Australia is lagging far behind other advanced economies in electric car sales.   :(

Related – Morrison government criticised for failing to drive electric vehicle uptake


Last year, 6900 electric cars were sold in Australia.

Although that was 2.7 per cent more than in 2019, it accounted for just 0.75 per cent of total cars sold in Australia that year, which was a much smaller proportion than that sold in the UK, US and Europe.

Electric vehicle sales in the EU increased their market share from 3.8 per cent in 2019 to 10.2 per cent in 2020.

Meanwhile, their market share rose from 3.1 per cent to 10.7 per cent in the UK, from 7.6 per cent to 8.1 per cent in California, and from 56 per cent to 75 per cent in Norway.

EVC chief executive Behyad Jafari laid the blame for Australia’s lacklustre EV uptake at the feet of its politicians.

“There’s simply no sugarcoating it at this point – Australia has marked itself out as a uniquely hostile market to electric vehicles,” Mr Jafari said.

“We have no targets, no significant incentives, no fuel efficiency standards – and in Victoria we even have a new tax on non-emitting vehicles.”



Mr Jafari said the EV taxes proposed in Victoria were premature and would discourage people from buying low-emission vehicles – a point he reiterated in a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Economics.

Among other things, the submission says the federal government should offer consumer incentives for EVs until they account for 10 per cent of the overall car market, while delaying the introduction of road-user charges for EVs until either 2030 or the time when this target is reached.

“Victoria is now doing what no other jurisdiction on Earth does by discouraging people from buying electric vehicles by slugging them with a special tax,” he said.

“When this policy idea gets pushed by the oil lobby around the world, they typically get laughed out of the room. Tim Pallas cut them a key to his office.”

EVC’s submission to the Senate cites research by consultancy EY, conducted on behalf of the council, that found EVs do not drain revenue from the public purse but instead create upwards of $8700 in net benefits to government and society.

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by whiteknight on Mar 5th, 2021 at 6:07am
“There’s simply no sugarcoating it at this point – Australia has marked itself out as a uniquely hostile market to electric vehicles,” Mr Jafari said.   :(

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by Mix_Master on Mar 5th, 2021 at 7:16am
The trouble is, they have to replace the lost fuel excise somehow.

At the moment, the vast majority of both private and commercial fleets are fossil-fuel powered, so excise is not a problem.

But the Government is aware of the need to (eventually) replace excise with something probably politically unpalatable, and - as Governments tend to do to greater or lesser extents - would prefer to "kick the can down the road".

One relatively easy way to do that, and to gradually ""transition in" a new, and likely dearer, way of charging motorists, is to introduce RUCs on electric vehicles.

On the one hand, it is seen as "fair", as EV buyers are obviously not contributing fuel excise (and they "must" be charged for something, right?  ::) )

On the other, they are seen as being "punished" for trying to do the right thing, and purchase something which promises* to be ultimately more environmentally friendly.

The thing the vast majority of people should be wary of, is the timing of when Governments bring in broad-based RUCs for everyone, how that "juxtaposes" with the current road registration and fuel excise regimes, and how much extra it ultimately costs people.

*Overall lifecycle environmental costs of EVs versus ICE vehicles - from manufacture to decommission/disposal ere still being modelled/debated...

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by Valkie on Mar 5th, 2021 at 7:29am
Electric vehicles fit into Australia as well as an elephant fits into a bottle.

Firstly. We have huge distances between.....virtually everything.
When I was working, I was driving over 160k a day, some days up to 400k when going to sites.
EVs have little ability to cover these distances comfortably.

Then there is power use. In Europe, its seldom gets anywhere near the heat we get in Australia, so air-conditioning is not used as often nor does it work as hard as it does in Australia.
This puts a huge drain on the available electric power in an electric vehicle, cutting its driving distance considerably.

Most Australians love to tow things, we have our boats, our caravans, our trailers and just about every tradie tows a very heavy trailer behind their work ute.

Distances for holidays will have to be, at best, very carefully planned or at worst, abandoned altogether.
No more jaunts from Sydney to the gold coast for long weekends.
Even a trip to Coffs Harbour or even Port Macquarie for the weekend will be impossible.

Then there is the charging.
Everyone thinks (Wrongly) that they can just plug their car into an 8 amp household plug and charge it overnight.
Sorry, this is just not the case, it requires far more current than that.
In fact, a EV will require about the same amount of power as the whole household, so basically it will double the required power availability for a given home, 3 times if you have two cars.
And as we all know, the available power in most Australian households is not as good as we need it at the moment.
It will only get worse as we move to solar and wind turbine tech.
Imagine getting up in the morning and getting into your car and finding it flat....bummer.

Now, still working on power use.
Imagine every house in your street having two cars (as we already have)
And that means that the good old 1950s power lines will suddenly need to supply 3 times or more power over those lines.
They will be glowing, thats if the system can cope.
Now multiply that by every street, suburb and city........starts to add up dont it?

And after the battery starts to get on a bit (just like your mobile phones) the batteries dont hold a charge as long.
They will eventually need to be replaced, and its gonna cost you a bomb.
Producing these batteries is an ecological nightmare and disposing of the depleted batteries even more so.
Where are all the old batteries going to be dumped?
The cost of producing and disposing of these batteries will become very very expensive very very quickly.

So, if the initial cost, power requirements, inability to drive distances and tow stuff, manufacture and disposal of batteries isnt enough for you.
I have one last concern

These vehicles do catch fire, it has been known for some time, but being kept quiet.
And in an accident, the potential for short circuits and fire is increased.

But unlike petrol or diesel cars, our fire department do not have the tools to put the fire out.
Petrol and diesel can be smothered and the impact of the fire reduced somewhat.

But if these electric batteries go up, you cant put the damn things out without some very special, VERY EXPENSIVE AND VERY TOXIC fire suppression materials.
As it stands, the policy at the moment is to just let it burn (for hours) and keep away from the HIGHLY TOXIC smoke.

Imagine this happening in an underground car park and the fire spreading from EV to EV.
What a fun thought.
An entire city block will have to be evacuated until the fire goes out, with HIGHLY TOXIC fumes blanketing the city for the hours it takes to burn out.

There are better ways, but we are being forced down the EV pathway for reasons we are not being told.
EVs will not work in Australia, its that simple.
Oh the yuppies and ECO Warriors will have a token EV or two and drive around the city, never to venture further than city limits.
The idiot grubberment will mandate EV for fleet cars and other groups.
But as a full roll out its impossible.
Country towns , farms, couriers, tradies, basically anyone who does anything functional will need a proper vehicle.

TAX THE DAMN EVS TO DEATH.
MAKE THEM AFFORDABLE AND TREMENDOUSLY EXPENSIVE TO OWN.

Other than virtue signallers, no normal human being in Australia really needs one.
Make these idiots pay through the nose for them.

And if or when technology makes EVs truly functional for Australian conditions.
Then roll them out.



Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by Ye Grappler on Mar 5th, 2021 at 12:36pm
Does this mean that fuel excise will, in future in SA and Vic, be folded into a single use fund for roadworks etc, rather than being folded into  Slush Funding (oops - silly me!)  Consolidated Revenue??

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by Sir lastnail on Mar 7th, 2021 at 11:29am
Everyone should know that the L in Liberal stands for Luddite !!

The libbos are anti-progress and and anti-technology and should always be kept away from any decisions involving technologies. Keep away liberals !!

Just look at what they did to the NBN and that tells you everything about what they stand for :(


Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by lee on Mar 7th, 2021 at 11:38am

Sir lastnail wrote on Mar 7th, 2021 at 11:29am:
The libbos are anti-progress and and anti-technology and should always be kept away from any decisions involving technologies.



So when we reach Utopia, when all is EV, how do you fund roads?

A much bigger tax on tyres?

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by Sprintcyclist on Mar 7th, 2021 at 12:10pm

lee wrote on Mar 7th, 2021 at 11:38am:

Sir lastnail wrote on Mar 7th, 2021 at 11:29am:
The libbos are anti-progress and and anti-technology and should always be kept away from any decisions involving technologies.



So when we reach Utopia, when all is EV, how do you fund roads?

A much bigger tax on tyres?


Yes, do EVs use roads?

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by Bam on Mar 7th, 2021 at 12:24pm
2.5 cents a kilometre is very small compared to the massive toll road rip offs.

Why should people in some areas be forced to pay enormous road tolls while other people living in similar areas elsewhere without toll roads pay nothing, just because their road wasn't built by a greedy private corporation?

In most cases, the tolls don't pay for the roads. That's a myth. If it were true, the toll would be removed the day any loans on the construction were repaid. No, the tolls exist to provide a cash cow for the private company and their shareholders.

It's time these cash cows were taken to the fiscal abattoir and slaughtered.

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by Gordon on Mar 7th, 2021 at 12:27pm

Sir lastnail wrote on Mar 7th, 2021 at 11:29am:
Everyone should know that the L in Liberal stands for Luddite !!

The libbos are anti-progress and and anti-technology and should always be kept away from any decisions involving technologies. Keep away liberals !!

Just look at what they did to the NBN and that tells you everything about what they stand for :(


Did you fail to notice the proposed tax was from the Labor treasurer of Victoria?

Deŕrrrrrrrrrrr

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by Bam on Mar 7th, 2021 at 12:28pm
The charges on the EVs don't make much sense either. It would make some small amount of sense if the charges were levied as a part of annual roadworthy inspections, but Victoria doesn't have those. They would be reasonable if they were levied on all road users, but they're not.

Instead of taxing EV users, these charges should be levied on all vehicles at a lower rate, in exchange for lower registration costs, and be levied as a part of an annual roadworthy inspection.

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by lee on Mar 7th, 2021 at 12:45pm

lee wrote on Mar 7th, 2021 at 11:38am:
So when we reach Utopia, when all is EV, how do you fund roads?

A much bigger tax on tyres?



Damn. More secondhand tyre places.

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by freediver on Mar 7th, 2021 at 12:47pm
We should put a tax on GHG emissions before we worry about EV's.

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by lee on Mar 7th, 2021 at 1:19pm

freediver wrote on Mar 7th, 2021 at 12:47pm:
We should put a tax on GHG emissions before we worry about EV's.



Yeah. Human emissions are about 3% of Total emissions. So about 3% of 410 part per million.

So really nothing to worry about as far as GHG's go either. ;D ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by lee on Mar 7th, 2021 at 1:20pm

Bam wrote on Mar 7th, 2021 at 12:28pm:
Instead of taxing EV users, these charges should be levied on all vehicles at a lower rate, in exchange for lower registration costs, and be levied as a part of an annual roadworthy inspection.


And reduce the fuel taxes? sounds fair.

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by aquascoot on Mar 7th, 2021 at 1:31pm
you will need an upgrade of the electricity network.

i think servicing costs for EV's will go thru the roof.

high tech always sounds great in principle but when it fails, who has the skill to fix it?

you think your average country town mechanic is going to shell out 10's of 10,000 to get the software?

you think EV companies will hand it over?

tesla wont.

not one bit of information will be provided to anyone but a tesla dealer.

plus which home mechanics will probably give them selves a 240 V fatal shock.

EV's might be fine for german autobahns.

i dont think they will go too well towing horse floats along dusty muddy country roads with river crossings

Title: Re: Federal Greens Fight Attempts To Tax EVs
Post by Gordon on Mar 7th, 2021 at 1:40pm

aquascoot wrote on Mar 7th, 2021 at 1:31pm:
you will need an upgrade of the electricity network.

i think servicing costs for EV's will go thru the roof.

high tech always sounds great in principle but when it fails, who has the skill to fix it?

you think your average country town mechanic is going to shell out 10's of 10,000 to get the software?

you think EV companies will hand it over?

tesla wont.

not one bit of information will be provided to anyone but a tesla dealer.

plus which home mechanics will probably give them selves a 240 V fatal shock.

EV's might be fine for german autobahns.

i dont think they will go too well towing horse floats along dusty muddy country roads with river crossings


The urban market is the one that will drive the uptake of electric cars, and they will suffer from the same market forces which effect our wider car market in general. We're a small and very segmented car market which drives up prices. I read somewhere we have more makes/models per capita than just about anywhere.

The day I can buy a leccy car which suits my needs 100% and makes financial sense I'll buy one. In the interim, I'd be interested in a plug in hybrid and the only SUV currently available is the Mitsubishi PHEV, soz I'm not a Bitsumishi fan :)

Sadly, we're not getting the new plug-in Kluger, only the hybrid.


Australian Politics Forum » Powered by YaBB 2.5.2!
YaBB Forum Software © 2000-2024. All Rights Reserved.