More fuel tax

[bravo 35]

NZ Herald

As if it weren't bad enough that if we want to run a decent octane fuel in our cars we have to pay more, now they want to tax higher octane fuels even more to remove the tax on a low octane biofuel alternative.

Time to write to your MP.

Edited October 9, 2007 by bravo

[Driftit 2069]

Yeah had a read of this today. I help run the Nissan Silvia club. It effects our whole club. lol Biofuel sux.

And wouldn't over 70% of cars on the road here be old jap cars?

Edited October 9, 2007 by driftit

[jjs 64]

Im all for it. Petrol is too cheap in NZ.

With higher petrol taxes and possibly tolls, only those who have to or really want to, will drive. This should reduce emissions as well as congestion.

Im not a greenie at all (in fact quite the opposite). But making people pay is the best way to reduce our roading and motoring problems in NZ.

[steve R 0]

Im all for it. Petrol is too cheap in NZ.

With higher petrol taxes and possibly tolls, only those who have to or really want to, will drive. This should reduce emissions as well as congestion.

Im not a greenie at all (in fact quite the opposite). But making people pay is the best way to reduce our roading and motoring problems in NZ.

strange view to have on a car forum....you WANT to pay more to drive your car?

[jjs 64]

strange view to have on a car forum....you WANT to pay more to drive your car?

Yep. If the roads were emptier, parking was easier I would definately pay more.

Imagine what it would be like to give your car a good "wind out" on the way to work, instead of sitting in traffic.

[steve R 0]

Yep. If the roads were emptier, parking was easier I would definately pay more.

Imagine what it would be like to give your car a good "wind out" on the way to work, instead of sitting in traffic.

as good as that sounds i dont think it will happen, can you do that at any major city in the world? traffic is a fact of life for people who live in cities

[Mavrick 0]

Im all for it. Petrol is too cheap in NZ.

With higher petrol taxes and possibly tolls, only those who have to or really want to, will drive. This should reduce emissions as well as congestion.

Im not a greenie at all (in fact quite the opposite). But making people pay is the best way to reduce our roading and motoring problems in NZ.

Thats ridiculous, even if they put the price of petrol up people are still going to drive....

The price of petrol has nearly doubled over the last 6 years and there's still the same amount of cars on the road if not more.

Futhermore if you hadn't realised the nation isn't getting any slimmer, the majority of people would still rather drive than get on a push bike or walk no matter what the price of fuel is.

My 2c

Mavrick

[StylesM5 0]

Im all for it. Petrol is too cheap in NZ.

With higher petrol taxes and possibly tolls, only those who have to or really want to, will drive. This should reduce emissions as well as congestion.

Im not a greenie at all (in fact quite the opposite). But making people pay is the best way to reduce our roading and motoring problems in NZ.

Agreed.

We have not reached the point of pain where it is more economically viable to use alternatives such as Public Transport. Unless people have to pay $100 to travel to work in the peak period, we'll continue to clog the roads up. Only when the cost of travel really hurts will we look to bikes, working from home, living closer to where we work, changing our work times etc. I can see the return of the horse and cart at some stage. Mind you, equine flu may put paid that theory!

User based tolls such as those implemented in the centre of London seem to be a good start (from the outside) although I admittedly have not followed up on how the tolls in London are working thses days.

I feel broad based petrol tax is not the solution although easy and cheap to implement, it does not target the consumers that are congesting the roads at peak times and it does nothing to reduce carbon emissions.

I am not a greeeny either, but I do seriously have concerns over the future state of the planet and what my kids and grandkids will have to inherit from us.

Having said all that, I still love a thrash in a car and drive a relatively uneconimical and ungreen Ford Territory although 95% of the time I don't need it. That's because I am not penalised in driving it.

Edited October 9, 2007 by StylesM5

[jpp 0]

I think the Government are to "tax happy". With a break-down of petrol prices, a large chunk is ACC Levies. Such levies that are also included in our PAYE. If the Government researched effective ways to reduce the need for ACC by motorists, such as; harder to gain a licence as a youngster, harsher penalities for drink driving, better roads, better schooling on driving etc.

Another method would be to introduce compulsory insurance. Not just on cars [or at all], but on people. If you are in an accident and say, break an arm and two legs, forcing you to take leave, instead of the Government paying, dependant on whose fault, their insurance co. should have to pay.

Not to mention the need for NZers to people able to sue those for personal bodily harm!

[nikj 0]

Thats ridiculous, even if they put the price of petrol up people are still going to drive....

The price of petrol has nearly doubled over the last 6 years and there's still the same amount of cars on the road if not more.

Futhermore if you hadn't realised the nation isn't getting any slimmer, the majority of people would still rather drive than get on a push bike or walk no matter what the price of fuel is.

My 2c

Mavrick

I am with you on this one Mavrick. Can you imagine people cycling over the Harbour Bridge every day?!!!

[jjs 64]

I am with you on this one Mavrick. Can you imagine people cycling over the Harbour Bridge every day?!!!

Or, shock horror..., you could catch a bus

[jpp 0]

Or, shock horror..., you could catch a bus

The bus service in Auckland is hopeless!

Public transport should never be privatised, as we all know what private firms main goal is.

The Stagecoach buses are often late, don't show up at all, rude drivers, bad bus drivers, smell/dirty/tagging, prices constantly go up, over-crowded, eluded a shitload of diesel smoke, break-down frequently... you get my drift.

Before the Governing bodies decide to reduce vehicle numbers, why not improve railway, bus, ferry and taxi services first?

[nikj 0]

Or, shock horror..., you could catch a bus

you would NEVER catch me on a loser cruiser

[nath 134]

Or, shock horror..., you could catch a bus

I live in Dunedin too and i walk everywhere as i dont have a car, but I still know that unless you REALLY hate driving and Auckland traffic, and refuse to let it become part of your day, buses are just too inconvenient and expensive to use.

I used to drive peak hour every day in Auck, and only really found Onewa Rd bad- possibly not even bad, just 'annoying'

I would keep driving and paying, only until the price was seriously shocking compared to my other expenses and income, and affecting my lifestyle.

[OLLIE 26]

you would NEVER catch me on a loser cruiser

why not?

[OLLIE 26]

rather than tax higher octane fuel they should tax stupid uneconomical cars such as the ones soccer moms drive their kids to school in when all they need is a honda civic.

[nikj 0]

why not?

well maybe i would if there wa absolutely NO other way!

[Guest 540Si]

I wouldn't mind so much about the cost of fuel if I knew that the tax on it was actually going on the things it's supposed to be - roading, traffic solutions and that sort of thing. NOT propping up this nanny-state and keeping the (pardon my French - and that's a dirty word all by itself!) f**king government running a huge surplus.

Not to mention, why do small and passenger diesels have to pay road user tax like a truck? They're not damaging or using the roads in the way that the whole system was designed - cancels out some of the economics of running a diesel privately.

I'm not angry, honestly!

[StylesM5 0]

I am with you on this one Mavrick. Can you imagine people cycling over the Harbour Bridge every day?!!!

That's why they run ferrys from Birkenhead, Northcote and Devonport on a regular basis.

Also they're about to spend $45m fixing the bridge. For another couple thay could add a cycle/walking "clip on".

Edited October 10, 2007 by StylesM5

[bravo 35]

Increasing fuel tax to the point it becomes painful will not work. There are a huge amount of commercial vehicles that will be forced to pass on the costs to the consumer. The price of everything rises. The cost of livving rises. Wages rise to meet this. There's a name for this trend??? Oh thats right - inflation.

Increased petrol tax doesn't help congestion, or the environment, it helps inflation.

JP - if your tongue is in your cheek I forgive you, but personal insurance? Suing people for harm? Move to America. But I agree, ACC shouldn't be levied out of your pay as part of income tax, your fuel as part of fuel excise, your car as part of your registration (and then not once, but 2, 3, 4, 5 times if you have more than one car, a motorbike or two, etc, etc) You can only drive/ride one of them at a time, so why pay acc on all at once?

[jjs 64]

Increasing fuel tax to the point it becomes painful will not work. There are a huge amount of commercial vehicles that will be forced to pass on the costs to the consumer. The price of everything rises. The cost of livving rises. Wages rise to meet this. There's a name for this trend??? Oh thats right - inflation.

Increased petrol tax doesn't help congestion, or the environment, it helps inflation.

It seems to work very well in the UK. Their interest rates are much lower than ours too.

[jjs 64]

well maybe i would if there wa absolutely NO other way!

Would you still drive over the bridge if there was a $10 toll? $20 toll? etc

[bravo 35]

Yes but in the UK they have a larger population base, so can transport goods with greater economies of scale, and they have cheaper transport like rail.

[jjs 64]

Yes but in the UK they have a larger population base, so can transport goods with greater economies of scale, and they have cheaper transport like rail.

Economies of scale?? There is only so much you can fit in one truck.

The problem is that even though the price of petrol has increased dramatically in NZ over the last couple of years, there are no less cars on the road. The cost of petrol at the moment is not enough incentive for people to think twice before driving or trading in their gas guzzler for a smaller car. In the UK this has happened, my argument is that the price should be raised so people only drive when necessay and those adamant to pilot a large SUV pay for it.

[Guest 540Si]

Economies of scale?? There is only so much you can fit in one truck.

The problem is that even though the price of petrol has increased dramatically in NZ over the last couple of years, there are no less cars on the road. The cost of petrol at the moment is not enough incentive for people to think twice before driving or trading in their gas guzzler for a smaller car. In the UK this has happened, my argument is that the price should be raised so people only drive when necessay and those adamant to pilot a large SUV pay for it.

Mate you're killing me!! I want to drive the 540 every day