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Stop the free ride: all motorists should pay their way, whatever vehicle they drive (theconversation.com)

submitted 1 day ago by HalfEarthMedic@slrpnk.net to c/australia@aussie.zone

27 comments fedilink hide all child comments

A specific road use tax on EVs and hybrids makes no sense.

Given the harms caused by traditional vehicles, society should welcome the decline in fuel excise revenue caused by the transition to EVs – in the same way we should welcome declining revenue from cigarette taxes.

Vehicle registration fees make only a modest contribution to road costs. That’s why all motorists should pay a road-user charge. The payment should be based on a combination of vehicle mass and distance travelled

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[–] Solemarc@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Isn't the EV tax effectively just a fuel excise tax for cars that don't use fuel? I mean, regardless of what this article thinks the fuel excise is described as "a sales tax on fuel that is reinvested into roads".

[–] HalfEarthMedic@slrpnk.net 4 points 20 hours ago

As the article points out, the fuel excise tax does not pay for roads, it goes into general revenue and does not collect enough to pay for the damage done by air pollution. The argument is that roads should be paid for by a tax on vehicle weight and distance travelled whether ICE or EV in addition to the fuel excise tax.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

That's what it is presented as. It functions as a disincentive against EVs

Though vehicles overall should be paying enough to pay for their infrastructure, I'd like that to be entirely borne by fossil fuel vehicles to move the balance of vehicles towards the quieter and less polluting

[–] sqgl@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

Don't discriminate against the poor.

The environment is better off with improved public transport rather than EV's anyhow.