Jim says fuel rule won’t hit tradies
Jim Chalmers has quashed claims tradies could soon face price hikes on utes under a plan to overhaul the nation’s fuel efficiency standards.
The changes would incentivise the car industry to boost the sales of low and zero emissions vehicles or face fines for selling too many fuel-hungry cars.
Motoring bodies have warned that tradies and families could have fewer choices if popular utes, four-wheel drives and light commercial vehicles were phased out of the market before there are EV alternatives.
But speaking with Nine, the Treasurer dismissed suggestions the change amounted to a “tradie tax”.
“That’s absolute rubbish. This is about getting costs down rather than up,” he said.
“There’s absolutely no evidence that it pushes up the prices of utes and cars. The Americans have had this for something like 50 years and they love their pick-up trucks.
“It doesn’t tell anyone what kind of car to buy or what kind of ute to buy. It just means there are more options for people who want to get a more fuel-efficient vehicle to get their costs down.”
The Albanese Government says the new rules would bring Australia in line with most other major economies and save motorists about $1000 a year in average fuel costs by 2028.
While particular models won’t be banned, car brands would be bound by a cap on average emissions, which the government proposes to slash by 60 per cent by the end of the decade.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber said while there was no question combustion engines were on the way out, the government needed to stump up the cash in order to meet its ambitious target.
The government will continue to consult on the standard and plans to introduce a regulator to oversee compliance before year’s end.