Labor and the Liberals on unity ticket to tax EVs and stymy uptake

2021-06-21

Today’s Senate debate on the Greens’ ‘No Electric Vehicles Tax’ Private Members Bill confirms both the government and Labor have no plan whatsoever to drive the uptake of electric vehicles or reduce our growing transport pollution. 

The COAG Reform Fund Amendment (No Electric Vehicle Taxes) Bill 2020 would end discriminatory taxation against electric vehicles by the states. 

But the major parties formed a unity ticket to refuse to pass this bill, and actively stymy the uptake of EVs at a time when Australia is already a laggard on the world’s stage. 

Australian Greens transport spokesperson, Senator Janet Rice, said:

“Electric vehicles are the future of personal transport. But neither the government nor Labor can even work out an internally consistent policy between their federal and state governments. 

“Scott Morrison and Angus Taylor spruik 'technology not taxes' but won’t support our bill to get rid of the EV tax, and refuse to release a national strategy themselves. But the NSW Liberal Government has just announced EV incentives and more charging infrastructure.

“Labor is no better. Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen rail against the government for not having a national strategy and hobbling uptake, yet the Victorian Labor Government has passed a disastrous EV tax. 

“We need national intervention to stop these discriminatory taxes and a consistent approach across all states. The federal government should be showing leadership, but because we’re still waiting on the national plan that Morrison promised over two years ago, states are having to go it alone.

“Victoria’s EV tax has been widely labelled as ‘the worst EV policy in the world’ - by experts, car manufacturers and environmental groups alike. Australia already has less than one per cent of EV uptake, and experts know this will stymy it further - that’s why the federal parliament needs to act.

“But it’s clear federal Labor and the Liberals just want to sling mud at each other in favour of taking any substantive action. The Greens are the only party with a consistent policy and a plan across all levels of government to spark the EV revolution."

Victorian Greens spokesperson for transport, Sam Hibbins MP, said:  

"Labor’s EV tax comes at a time when transport is our biggest growing source of emissions in Victoria and Victoria lagging behind the rest of the world in the uptake of electric vehicles.

“The Victorian Labor Government has been shown up by the NSW Liberal Government with a bigger package and no EV tax until there are actually a decent amount of electric vehicles on the road. 

“Labor’s ‘worst electric vehicle policy in the world’ has now made Victoria a global laughing stock, and laggard at home.”