The minister proposed several measures, including subsidizing car parks with charging stations, waiving stamp duty, and giving access to transit lanes for drivers of electric cars. He also added that the government needs to pick a “drop dead” date for the ban on petrol and diesel vehicle sales. While Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has declared his intention to impose EV road tax in Victoria by July, Constance said that the government will not apply such a levy until electric vehicles make up 40 to 50% of the car market. When that is the case, NSW will consider solutions to compensate for the tax revenue lost from a drop in fuel excise. Its approach will be distinctly different from the new Victorian system that will tax EVs at 2.5 cents ($1.9 cents) per kilometer. If the government rolls out an electric vehicle tax too soon, “What we will do is make ourselves the laughing stock of the world. The rest of the world will have moved to full manufacturing of electric vehicles and here we are sort of struggling,” Mr Constance remarked. Do EVs excite your electrons? Do ebikes get your wheels spinning? Do self-driving cars get you all charged up? Then you need the weekly SHIFT newsletter in your life. Click here to sign up.
