Queensland premier promises three-year registration freeze, but trucking operators will be excluded from the scheme
March 12, 2012
The trucking industry has been left out of Queensland Premier Anna Bligh’s plan to freeze vehicle registration fees for three years.
Bligh promised to introduce the scheme if returned to office following this month’s state election, with the freeze applying to all but heavy vehicles.
She made the announcement during Labor’s campaign launch yesterday, saying the measure is expected to cost $247.5 million over the next three years.
Bligh’s plan will run from the July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2015 and is expected to save owners of four-cylinder vehicles $59.57.
Those with six-cylinder vehicles will save $89.17, with eight-cylinder owners pocketing $121.31. However, Bligh’s plan relies on receiving additional GST revenue from the Federal Government.
“Queensland has been hit hard by the global financial crisis and them some of the worst natural disasters in our history but decisions Labor has taken mean our economy is now on the cusp of strong growth,” she says.
“It’s time for Queenslanders to see some of that light at the end of the tunnel.”
Bligh says heavy vehicles will not be included because registration charges are set nationally. The National Transport Commission (NTC) is responsible for recommending registration charges, with the nation’s transport ministers having the final say.
A new set of charges is due to be voted on this month, with the plan likely to reduce the cost of registering A-trailers in return for higher fees on other heavy vehicles.
