Been saying this for a long time, it is a much fairer system than the current one. One of the few NAFf policies that I fully agree with.
If heavy road freight paid RUCs more in line with the damage they do to the roads, then sure, but given their lobby paid for the National government that’s not going to happen.
For people living paycheck to paycheck RUCs are a bill shock proposition so will mean many of them fall behind and inevitably start getting fined and dragged into the court system. The huge advantage of fuel tax is that its easier to administer, easier to enforce and far easier to pay as its just as you go.
100% on trucks paying for the damage they actually do.
But as you say, probably not going to happen.
But as cars have become more efficient, the number has been growing at a much higher rate than the tax take. Something has to be done about this situation, as it is not sustainable long term.
True, fuel efficiency meaning less petrol consumed & lower tax take is an aspect i’d not considered. Has that trend continued since the EV subsidy was canned? I’d expect the uptake of EVs was counterbalancing the fuel inefficiency of the ever larger Ute, and without a subsidy the EV sales dropped.
In any case, part of the massively increased cost in road construction is due to having to build roads that can safely take the weight of the trucks getting larger since the National legislation changes in 2014; those heavier trucks travelling faster is also part of the reason why there are more pot holes. Yet the operators that have gotten extremely wealthy have never had to pay their way to use the roads. Unlike the various rail / coastal shipping operators who could transport far more freight far more efficiently (if less time flexibly).
