As the world scrambles to transition to electric vehicles in order to combat climate change and improve air quality in cities, Victoria’s regressive EV road user tax has reportedly resulted in the cancellation of registrations for 240 electric vehicles. Dubbed “the world’s worst EV policy”, the Zero and Low-Emission Vehicle road user charge levies a fee of 2.6 cents per kilometer driven by EVs inside or outside the state of Victoria.
This week, VicRoads Registration and Licensing Services chief operations officer Michael Hooper revealed that 243 car registrations had been cancelled since the law was introduced, which he described as a small percentage of those charged the fee. One Victorian EV driver said the tax had caused her registration to be cancelled without her knowledge, while she continued to drive the unregistered EV unaware for 6 months.
The reporting process for the tax is quite laborious, requiring drivers to submit a photo of their car’s odometer annually to calculate the tax owing. If drivers fail to pay ZLEV charges within 56 days, their vehicle registrations are suspended, and if they fail to pay within 78 days, their registrations are cancelled.
The highly unpopular tax is currently facing a High Court challenge for what the plaintiffs say is an “unconstitutional” charge. Equity Generation Lawyers, who are representing two EV driving plaintiffs, argue that the State of Victoria lacks the constitutional authority to impose such a charge.
In contrast, the South Australian Labor Party fulfilled their election promise to scrap SA’s EV tax earlier this month. South Australian Minister for Transport Tom Koutsantonis said: “This backwards-thinking tax was another betrayal of the Liberals’ low-taxing rhetoric, as well as a betrayal of the pursuit of Clean Energy solutions. South Australians want to see their State Government incentivising the take-up of electric vehicles, not slugging users with extra costs.”
Victoria is now the only state in Australia and possibly the only place in the world that taxes electric vehicles. The outcome of the High Court challenge in April will determine whether or not this regressive tax remains in place.
FAQ
Q1: Are electric car batteries recyclable?
A1: Yes, electric car batteries are recyclable.
Q2: Are electric car chargers free?
A2: It depends on the charger and the location. Some electric car chargers are free, while others may require a fee.
Q3: Can electric car batteries be rebuilt?
A3: Yes, electric car batteries can be rebuilt with the right tools and knowledge.
