Subscribe to RSSMTA Complaint About Diesel Tax
The Motor Trade Association says removing the present road user charges system would provide benefits for motorists as that the Government’s current approach may be reducing the appeal of new diesel cars.
The Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee is currently considering the Road User Charges Bill.
Petrol powered vehicles are currently subject to an excise tax system, which is collected ‘at the pump’.
The association says that “compared to the cumbersome RUC system, it is simple to administer, motorists have no choice but to comply with it, and crucially, it places costs against vehicle owners based on the overall efficiency of their vehicle; the more fuel you use, the more excise tax you contribute.
“The current RUC system for cars and light vehicles provides a straight line or flat rate of tax, irrespective of the efficiency of the vehicle. So, depending on the model, a large capacity, diesel powered SUV pays virtually the same in RUC as a small diesel powered car, despite consuming diesel at around three times the rate. This, in effect, unfairly discriminates against the owners and users of small diesel vehicles.
“In the case of a car like Ford’s highly fuel efficient Fiesta Econetic 1.6D model, which has a fuel use rating of just 3.7 litres/100km, the RUC costs equate to an additional consumption rate of 2.9 litres/100 km. Using a ‘taxed at the pump’, excise system would allow for a much fairer and transparent rate to be applied; a rate that motorists would not be able to avoid paying, as some clearly do today.
“Each time a diesel vehicle replaces an equivalent petrol powered model, it means an overall reduction in the amount of fuel that has to be consumed in New Zealand; that in turn, translates to lower import costs, and fewer carbon emissions.
“Modern diesel engines are generally around 30 percent more fuel efficient than their petrol equivalents, but New Zealand is failing to provide an environment that fully recognises that. In some European countries, such as France and Belgium, the advantages of diesel have long been recognised and sales of diesel powered cars account for more than 70 percent of all new cars.
It says that in New Zealand, diesel new cars sales levels are currently at around 15 percent.
“While it would take many years to reach the penetration levels found in some European countries, MTA believes the move to eliminate the current RUC system for light diesel vehicles and replace it with a simpler, more equitable excise tax, would be a positive and effective first step.”
2 Comments
Yeay, as a pedestrian and cyclist anything to discourage private vehicle owners getting diesels is great. Clean diesels my arse.They all stink and diesel fumes are big time carcinogenic, and all should be phased out, including with CNG replacement for heavy vehicles.
This new vogue talking about reducing carbon dioxide is all well and good, but what about all the frickin’ poisonous particulates and gases? It just seems like chemistry ignorance to me.
Too bad hybrids muddy the waters not using fuel but travelling the same km’s costing the same in terms of road wear and tear but paying less