Colleagues in Alms
The NZ government is reviewing the way taxes are levied on diesel sales.
And not before time.
We have a hugely cumbersome system called Road User Charges (RUC)
designed to apportion the cost of maintaining roads fairly among mobile
diesel users. Owners of stationary diesel plant don't have to pay the tax.
Unlike petrol users who pay their tax at the pump, we diesel users have
to buy their tax separately, usually at the end of long queues at post
offices. We are levied in advance on distance travelled and the fully
laden weight of our vehicles. As you can imagine, multi-axle trucks pay
big money because they do more damage to our roads.
My 300TD is in the 3-tonne class. For 3107 miles (5000 km), I pay
$NZ190. Believe it or not, that includes a bloody service fee of $10. A
fee to pay to a tax?!!
Once I calculate the tax paid per mile travelled, the pump-price
differential between petrol and diesel ** closes very significantly. If,
as it does sometimes, the differential vanishes altogether, the only
economic benefit of running a diesel becomes the longer distances
travelled per litre.
So, how are diesel taxes levied in your neck of the wood?
Euan
1985 300TD 5-spd manual
215K mi
** [NZ pump prices today (urban centres) -- $0.99c / ltr diesel; $1.55c
/ ltr 91 octane petrol ]
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