St Clair highlights 80,000 disconnect between PayGo numbers and latest ABS statistics
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) this week confirm that the trucking industry is overcharged, ATA CEO Stuart St Clair says.
Stuart points out the 2014 Motor Vehicle Census (MVC) population figures show a massive difference to the outdated figures used in the PayGo charges model, driving up the price of heavy vehicle registration and fuel costs.
“The PayGo model divides current road expenditures by the estimated number of heavy vehicles that were on the road three years prior,” he says.
“Because this figure is missing nearly 80,000 heavy vehicles, the amount charged to each truck is higher than it should be.
“The ATA called on transport ministers to update the way the PayGo model is calculated earlier this year, a move which was supported by the NTC.
“However, the state ministers refused to stop the over-recovery and rejected the NTC options.
“Because of this decision, the industry will be overcharged by more than $200 million in 2014-15.”
The MVC shows 540,592 heavy vehicles were registered in Australia at January 31.
The PayGo model uses a base population of 462,765 heavy vehicles to determine the 2014-15 heavy vehicle charges.
The MVC also shows that light rigid trucks (22.5 per cent), light commercial vehicles (19.1 per cent) and articulated trucks (15.6 per cent) have led commercial vehicle growth over the past five years.
The poorest growth was for heavy rigids at 6 per cent in that time.
Diesel propulsion was a growth factor in light commercials, with vehicles using the fuel growing 65.4 per cent.
Articulated trucks increased in average age by 0.7 years.