Glaring injustice

A review and a substantial reduction in the ACC component of the cost of motorcycle registration is overdue.

Annual registration currently costs $522.96 for a motorcycle 601cc or greater, including the administration fee, of which $454.07 is the ACC levy.

Private motor car registration (Band 3 rating) is $108.56, of which $48.65 is the ACC levy.

There are two glaring injustices here. The base cost of licensing the motorcycle, which by virtue of its much smaller size and weight causes less wear on the road surface, is $68.96, $16.85 more than the car. The motorcycle ACC component is almost 10 times that of the Band 3 rated car, and 18 times that of a Band 4 car.

Minister of ACC Michael Woodhouse must get his CEO, Scott Pickering, to change the way these fees are calculated to arrive at a fairer fee.

Only motorcycles used on public roads should be taken into account. Accident statistics involving farm bikes, ‘‘quad’’ bikes ( which are not motorcycles ) or competition motorcycles should not be included.

If the ACC was sincere in claiming that rehabilitation costs are a crucial factor in deciding its charges, it would impose levies on the myriad other recreational activities – eg, skiing, micro-light flying, shooting, cycling, horse riding, kayaking – which cost it many thousands of dollars annually.

Instead of penalising motorcycle users, the Government should be encouraging them, in the interests of reducing fuel usage and carbon emission, and decreasing traffic and parking congestion. REX KNIGHT Christchurch [abridged]