ALC Calls For A National Approach On Electric Vehicle Road User Charges 

At a Senate Economics Committee meeting held in Melbourne today to consider the COAG Road Reform Fund (No Electric Vehicle Taxes) Bill 2020, representatives of the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) called for a national approach to imposing road user charges on electric vehicles.

It told the Committee it is imperative all road users should pay the road user charges necessary to permit the construction and maintenance of the roads Australia needs both now and in the future as excise revenues reduce.

However, because Australia is a national economy any funding mechanism should be in force across the country.

ALC said the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers’ Meeting (ITMM), which replaced the previous Transport and Infrastructure Council that was terminated following the abolition of COAG and the creation of the National Cabinet process will shortly be considering issues such as heavy vehicle road pricing reform, amendments to Australia’s heavy vehicle national law and the adoption of national urban freight planning principles.

Representatives said that they hoped that any decisions relating to these issues would be implemented within 12 months as proposed by the Conran Review of COAG Councils and Ministerial Forums.

In this context, ALC concluded by recommending the ITMM should add to its list the recommendation contained in the NSW Government’s Supporting the Road to Recovery paper to establish a pathway for the development of a road user charge capable of being applied to all classes of vehicle within 12 months.

A copy of the ALC submission to the Committee may be found here.

ENDS