A new road charge mooted for electric vehicle drivers is based on a fundamental misconception.

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

  • DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zoneEnglish
    6·
    3 days ago

    It is funny when revenue raising and incentivising behaviour get mixed. Like when governments become dependent on speeding fine revenue.

    • Joshi@slrpnk.netOPEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      Governments have never been dependent on speeding fine revenue. This is a myth perpetuated by people who are indignant that they can’t drive recklessly without consequence.

      • DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zoneEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        Do you have a source for that? I don’t mean dependent like the government would collapse without it, but that they have included it in their budget expectations and would very much like to keep it.

        • Joshi@slrpnk.netOPEnglish
          31·
          2 days ago

          Its absurd to think that traffic fines are any substantial part of the budget but here you go, I did 2-3 minutes of research for you.

          In the 2023-24 financial year, fines issued from road safety cameras amounted to $473 million. This figure represents a fraction of the overall cost of speed and distracted driving and seatbelt-related crashes. Link

          The total state budget is 111.7 billion. Link

          ie. Around half of 1%

          I used victoria just because when i typed “traffic camera revenue” into DDG it was the second result.