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https://theconversation.com/back-to-the-fuel-guzzlers-coalition-plans-to-end-ev-tax-breaks-would-hobble-the-clean-transport-transition-255211>
"If elected, the Coalition has pledged to end Labor’s substantial tax break for
new zero- or low-emissions vehicles.
This, combined with an earlier promise to roll back new fuel efficiency
standards, would successfully slow the transition to hybrid and battery
electric vehicles (EVs).
The Albanese government pitched these tax breaks as a way to make EVs cheaper
to buy and more competitive with internal combustion engine cars. Since the tax
break came in, EV popularity has surged. Almost 100,000 people have taken out a
novated lease on an EV between mid-2022, when the scheme began, and February
2025.
The Coalition has been consistently critical of the tax breaks on cost grounds.
The scheme has been far more popular than government forecasts envisaged,
leading to concerns about a cost blowout. Rather than the A$55 million forecast
for 2024-25, the scheme has cost ten times that – $560 million. EV buyers are
much more likely to be wealthy, meaning the tax break has been snapped up by
people who need it less. The policy is, however, encouraging car suppliers to
import more affordable EVs.
These concerns don’t mean Labor’s policy is bad. Far from it – this tax break
is currently the only policy working to drive down transport emissions, now the
second-largest source of emissions in Australia. The Coalition has given no
indication it would replace the EV tax break with other ways to cut transport
emissions."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
