In July 2021 I was in Darwin. “Tess”, my 2015 Tesla Model, was garaged in Melbourne. It is now deregistered and garaged in Hobart. It has been immobile for a week, a victim of the Victorian tax on EVs. I’m walking everywhere.
I paid 1.5c/km (and later 1.6c/km) into Victoria consolidated revenue for every kilometre driven on Victorian roads and, indeed, even for a few thousand kms driving on NSW and Tasmanian roads.
So, while I thought the Victorian government’s EV road tax was poorly designed, administratively clumsy, inefficient, discriminatory and plain stupid from a government that claims to be encouraging EVs, I was still prepared to be law abiding, and pay my taxes.
But I’m resisting paying for a Robodebt-like assumption of mileage hypothecated from my historical travel distances when, in fact, my car was garaged and stationary for the first month of the tax’s introduction.
Sure, it is only a small amount outstanding, but the principle is important: No government should act in an overbearing manner menacing its citizens with continual demands to pay for consumption not undertaken.
Numerous emails to the Victorian Treasurer were first ignored, then referred to the Minister for Roads and Transport, who ignored them too, all the while sending further demands to pay and threatening letters to de-register my vehicle.
They simply refused to address my concerns and credit my account with the overpayment I made for the hypothecated July 2021 “driving”.
A lot of time has and is being wasted. When I bought “Tess” in 2015 I didn’t envisage an EV tax, and thought I was contributing to clean air, better community health, less greenhouse gases, a quieter peaceful environment, and less road accidents through less greasy roads (no unburnt oil droplets on the road) and so less trauma and community costs all round.
Until EVs are the dominant vehicle type on our roads, it could equally be argued that the diesel fuel excise should be increased to accelerate the transition to a future of cleaner, safer, quieter stress-free roads.
I’ll continue to object to the Andrews State Government going rogue on the nation with an overbearing bureaucratic, administratively difficult enforcement in the style of the previous Morrison Federal Government’s Robodebt.
I’ll keenly await the outcome of the High Court case heard in February as to the ability of a state to intrude on federal taxation powers, and hope that a more efficient and nationally-consistent way of road funding is subsequently devised.
Dick Friend is a Victorian EV owner and has 50 years experience in innovations in aquaculture, horticulture, IT, tourism, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable energy. He’s a past state coordinator for Tesla Owners Club Australia. Dick is one of 243 Victorian EV owners who’ve had their vehicles deregistered because of the states “rogue” EV tax.