Proposal to tax road users

[mav Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close mav]

Well this current tax reform proposal seems a bit over the top to me, the news aerticle is:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...section=justin

Taxing someone based on how far they drive seems to be biased towards penalising remote area living who for people like myself need to drive long distances to get to the nearest cities. I can understand taxing heavy vehicles using some inner city roads but really the roads out in remote regions are in generally good repair despite heavy vehicle use.

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

Mav - you already get taxed for the distance you travel. Its called a consumption tax on your fuel - or GST!

[mav Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close mav]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

Mav - you already get taxed for the distance you travel. Its called a consumption tax on your fuel - or GST!

Yep I am fully aware of the extra that remote users pay for driving expecially with the extorionist prices at the pump in remote areas. But they are now talking about making people pay more tax depending on how far they drive.

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

you already get taxed for the distance you travel. Its called a consumption tax on your fuel - or GST!

Twice actually... first they add the federal fuel tax then they double dip on it by adding GST on top... tax on a tax :roll:

Mick

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

This, is no more than a grab at extra cash that isn't needed. The concept of user pays has merits but in this case I think it would be a nightmare to instigate. Tracking devices?? COME ON! People, me included, wont stick having our every move tracked. Every move made logged and noted. I think we are still some years off making this kind of technology mainstream anyway. The huge resistance we've had at work to installing GPS fleet monitoring I think is a warning about how this idea will end up.

Professor Clarke also says it would be a good thing if trucking companies passed on the costs of increased levies to consumers.

Hitting up truckies for the damage they do to roads will do no more than the above. You can't blame them for it either. Of course my own opinion on this matter is to move all road haulage to rail, slowly, over time. Do not allow additional road haulage and gradually move more road haulage to rail. Allow existing truckies to retire but put the writing on the wall. And put passengers on the trains as well. Just stop and think for one moment how a bullet train from Geraldton to Perth to Albany would change the face of things in WA? How would you like to live in Albany and Work in Perth? Possible!... you tell me it isn't......... Then, you won't even need to use your car.

People who live regionally in Australia have done so at a disadvantage since the year dot. The fact is that all regional infrastructure is there for the benefit of all Australians. Even the Miniskirted teeny-bopper up the street who thinks Darwin is in America and Ayres Rock in the wilds of Mongolia. Such a person eats bread from our farms, milk from our dairy country, uses Iron-ore from our mines, and enjoys the benefits of tourism through additional Australian dollars for community projects. Tight pants festival, or something.... The Idea of making a small group of people pay to upkeep infrastructure meant for everyone is bollocks. It belongs to you it belongs to me, so we pay to keep it through the taxes we already pay.. If additional taxes are needed then the responsible authority needs a damn good argument as to exactly why the current taxes aren't good enough. The idea of sneaking in extra taxes "for a cause" is green bollocks! We pay enough taxes. Use them!

I eat the grain in the bread that's hauled from our wheatbelt. I eat the cabbages hauled from our market gardens. Do I use the roads out there?? You bet your toned A$$ I do!

To say that only the person driving up the road at the time is the "user" isn't quite correct. The fact is that our infrastructure is there for the benefit of us all. Directly or indirectly. A thriving country can only be a good thing.

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

The AAA is also pushing the "Pay as you use" idea.

Fuel tax reform

Mick

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

Twice actually... first they add the federal fuel tax then they double dip on it by adding GST on top... tax on a tax :roll:

That was my point - you already get punished for driving a car. And those that have to travel great distances often (ie some of us in the NT) are forced to not only pay more at the bowser, but then also pay extra tax by consequence (based on percentages of overall cost). If governments actually re-invested the monies they received from these taxes into road infrastructure, road safety, etc, there wouldn't be this problem. But they don't. They waste these monies on other projects and getting re-elected. And when they do build new infrastructure or roads (especially in the Southern States) nowadays, they seem all too keen to want to introduce a new levy on top of the aforementioned taxes just for the privilege of using the new road!

[LenGXV6 Member Find all posts View Profile Close LenGXV6]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

All this is, is a rehash of a bill the US tried to put through Congress a few months ago. It got defeated then, and it will be defeat here.

[oldsalt Member Find all posts View Profile Close oldsalt]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

Just a public servant with nothing to do who wants to justify his position.

It would be a brave govt. that introduces this.

[two+four Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close two+four]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

New Zealand has run a Road tax for Diesel vehicles for years. You buy x number of kilometers from a central aurthority at a price depending on vehicle type and the amount of KM you want to buy (Bigger discounts for bulk buys, higher costs for Trucks than cars). The trade off for this is a much cheaper bowser price.

For example in Auckland at the moment per litre
91 octaine is 1.68.9
95 octaine is 1.74.9
Diesel is 1.06.9

Primary producers don't pay a percentage of road tax as they use their vehicles on the land and diesil boaties get it good to. Oh and if the cops pull you up past your limit on KM's without buying a new set of KM's I believe you get fined as well as having to pay the maximum rate of road tax.

Neil

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

The state of the roads throughout regional WA are a disgrace. The government has let the rail network fall to bits and they won't repair. Everywhere you go, whether it's theWheatbelt, South-West, Goldfields, Gascoyne or Pilbara you see road tarin after road train. And they are all carrying bulk materials that should be going by rail.

These are the culprits who are wrecking our roads and the government let's them get away with it and reaps in billions via fuel taxes. When you drive along a dirt road you expect that your CD player will jump or freeze ubtil you reach a smoother section. But it shouldn't happen on stretches of major highways. But it does. Lots of road gets a re-surfacing makeover to make us feel good when in reality the road needs to be torn up and re-made to iron out all the ridges and gullies caused by these triple B (and longer) road trains.

Why should I pay more tax for driving on crap roads? Where's all the tax going - oh, that's right to placate the pollies and all their mates so they can have a smooth uninterupted drive to Dunsborough along the Mandurah bypass highway to spend time in their million dollar beach houses. A bit like the wide smooth freeway that they enjoy going into Canberra from Sydney.

They're talking about putting tracking devices into everyone's car - mine will be ripped out and attached to the dog's back so he can clock up a couple of kays a week running around the back yard just so it looks like I am actually driving my car!

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

Heh... amen to to dog idea. I might just join you in doing that.

You have to remember that we've got a hell of a lot of distance to cover in OZ. And I mean one hell of a lot. The upkeep of bitumen roads over all that country will also cost us one hell of a lot. In one sense, you can't blame politicians for directing spending into certain projects whose benefits are undeniable. Even I must admit that the Mandurah bypass will be damn good when it's finally opened up. All that chaos through Mandurah every long weekend and holiday period can finally be finished with.

The problem, justifiably, comes when people living in Kalgoorlie, Dampier, Port Hedland etc look at this project and wonder what in blue hell this means for them. Money is spent where the people are, so, in our case that's primarily the South West of WA. The Paradox of that though, is if you don't spend money regionally, people will never be attracted regionally. Say what you like about the Royalties for Regions scheme, But my thoughts are it is a step firmly in the right direction. Even though there are few people living regionally (relatively) right now, you can't let infrastructure degrade regionally, because at the end of the day we will need it. The South West cannot continue to grow at the expense of the North and Mid West, which is happening right now. We certainly need some sort of scheme whereby usable amounts of funding are directed regionally each financial year. At the moment I really don't see that happening. Why? Because not enough people care about it. Too many people with voting rights look at a road rebuilding project up at the Overlander Roadhouse and don't like it, because their local swimming pool got axed to pay for it. So we get the continuing method of looking after the masses at the complete expense of the few.

Do you realize that the last change of electoral zones in WA, bought about by the Labour Government, actually reduced the amount of regional electorates? And increased the amount of South West electorates? Why? Because they say that less people live regionally and state reps should be where the people are. Consequence.... nobody gives a Damn about the Mid West and North. Unless the elections are so finely balanced that one extra seat makes a difference. When will that happen again?

Letting our rail network degrade I agree is a very stupid thing indeed. If I had to receive the dole, I'd have no qualms about going out and driving in a few spikes to get it. There must be a way we can keep those railway lines properly maintained.

It's got to change!

[Daz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Daz]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

Road tax sounds ambitious, but we will probably continue to see it via increased taxes on fuel, which affects regional areas more than metro. Ie more fuel you use, more tax you pay.
Unfort the money doesnt go back into regions for road works by Shire Councils. They rely on State Govt handouts.
Most major roads & hwys are pretty reasonable, but its when you get onto the minor council roads you can see the need. These are school bus routes carrying road trains, and many were built 40 years ago

Unless the elections are so finely balanced that one extra seat makes a difference. When will that happen again?

IP, it did happen..........last election
Remember the Libs and Labour had to meet with Grylls after last WA election so he could interview them so he could decide who he would form a government, cant get much more finely balanced than that. Hopefully country folk will see some benefits from over next few years

Do you realize that the last change of electoral zones in WA, bought about by the Labour Government, actually reduced the amount of regional electorates? And increased the amount of South West electorates? Why? Because they say that less people live regionally and state reps should be where the people are. Consequence.... nobody gives a Damn about the Mid West and North.

One vote, one value always questionable, but it didnt help Labour, and having seats with reasonably equal number of voters per seat has got to be more fair. But yes, its getting harder for the voices in the country seats to be heard.

And the millions of $ spend on Mandurah bypass, train lines and other infrastructure just needs to be done, even if it benefits mainly city people.

And thats the end of a rant from a country boy 8)

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Re: Proposal to tax road users

Yep yep, that was my point . The last election was finely balance and only because of that, Barnett had to agree to the royalties for regions scheme to get the Nationals support. However, if regional areas need to rely on such occurrences to get funding in the future, how long will they need to wait to secure funding again?

One vote one value sounds good, fair and equal on paper doesn't it. But as with so many things, the real world is a far more complex beast than that.

Yep the Mandurah bypass was a good project. But, lets make the next major project regional. Everybody is asked to wait for the projects they want happening at some point. People in the South West have been well looked after of late. It's their turn to wait. For instance, I've been waiting 10 years + for the indian ocean drive to be completed, it's going ahead but extremely slowly.

Here's a small suggestion. How about a few more passing lanes North of Perth?