ATA calls for reduced truck taxes

The ATA's new Chair, Noelene Watson, has called on the Federal Government to reduce taxes and registration charges for trucks

The recently installed Chair of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA), Noelene Watson, has begun her tenure by calling on the Federal Government to rectify the current overtaxing of Australian trucks.

Watson, who was elected as the ATA's new Chair on Wednesday, March 26, said the current charging system underestimates the number of trucks on Australian roads by around 76,000 vehicles, and that because of this, truck operators have been hit with excess fees and charges since 2007.

“There were 496,000 heavy vehicles registered in Australia in June 2013,” she said.

“That figure comes straight from the state and territory registration systems. But the current system for calculating our charges assumes there are only 420,000 heavy vehicles. As a result, every vehicle – and every operator – ends up paying too much in fuel tax and registration charges.

“The NTC put forward a series of options for fixing the charging system. Under what it called 'Option A', operators would be able to claim an extra 1.04 cents per litre in fuel tax credits through their business activity statements. This would effectively be a reduction in their fuel tax. Some truck registration charges would fall.

“Governments need to accept the umpire’s decision. The NTC has confirmed that trucking operators are overcharged: they need to agree to cut registration charges and increase our fuel tax credits by 1.04 cents per litre from July 1, 2014,” she said.

Watson also rejected the notion that any reductions should be brought in gradually.

“The trucking industry has paid too much tax for the last seven years,” she said.

“It’s a bit rich for people to argue that we should pay too much tax for another three years as well.”

Watson also attacked the Heavy Vehicle Charges and Investment (HVCI) Reform process, saying the adoption of GPS devices to facilitate a mass-distance-location framework was thoroughly inconsistent with the Federal Government’s recent pledge to reduce red tape and the regulatory burden on small businesses.

ATA calls for reduced truck taxes

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