Industry unites to reject tax increase

Australia’s trucking operators have unanimously and emphatically rejected a proposal to dramatically increase the truck fuel tax and registration charges.

The trucking industry reached the decision at the meeting of the Australian Trucking Association General Council today, ahead of a transport ministers’ meeting on Friday.

At the meeting, ministers will consider increasing the truck fuel tax and registration charges by 11.8 per cent over three years – equivalent to a 3 cent per litre increase in fuel tax and a $734 increase in registration charges for a prime mover and semi-trailer.

ATA Chair Geoff Crouch said that any increase in taxes and charges would have a devastating effect on the small and family businesses that make up the vast majority of the industry.

“The trucking industry already pays too much for our use of the roads, as the independent government agency that advises on these charges has conceded.

“For example, the projected over-recovery for 2018-19 was $189.5 million – money that trucking operators should have been able to use to employ more staff and buy new equipment.

“Our members would be trying to recover these extra taxes and charges from their customers at a time when rural and regional Australia is suffering from an extreme drought, and urban trucking operators are struggling to deal with governments’ failure to regulate toll road and port access charges.

“That’s why the trucking industry is calling on transport ministers to reject the proposed increase.

“Ridiculously, officials have told us that we will be consulted about the increase after the meeting. There’s no point in holding consultations after a decision is made, so we are working flat out to get the right result for industry now,” he said.