The High Court’s decision to strike down Victoria’s ill-considered EV tax is a win for Australian motorists, a win for the environment, and a win for the national interest, says the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC).
A majority of the High Court has ruled in favour of two Victorian electric car drivers, Chris Vanderstock and Kath Davies, who argued Victoria’s road user charge (RUC) was unconstitutional.
It is expected the decision will prevent other states from pursuing plans to introduce EV road user charges.
EVC chief executive Behyad Jafari says the High Court ruling will pave the way to better policy across the nation.
“There is nothing inherently wrong with road user charges, but they should never be calibrated to discourage the take up of electric vehicles,” says Jafari.
“The electric vehicle industry warned the Victorian Government this policy was muddleheaded years ago, and the offer has always been on the table to work with the state on a more sensible approach,” he adds.
“Any road user charge scheme should be national and we now look forward to working with the federal government on sensible road funding reform, without singling out drivers who are trying to do the right thing,” says Jafari, adding any RUC scheme should apply to all vehicles and take into consideration the economic cost of emissions.
“Australia’s priority should be on boosting the transition to EVs and decarbonising our transport system,” he explains.
“Road funding is also an important consideration for government, but we should approach issues in the right order.
“Allowing states to simply shake down EV owners for a bit of extra tax is a retrograde approach, and I’m very glad to see the High Court slamming the brakes on that.”
