McKay moves to calm industry concern on luxury vehicle tax
Road Freight NSW (RFNSW) has welcomed the state opposition’s support to stop “exorbitant” port terminal access surcharges on truck operators at Port Botany and its pledge to work with RFNSW in a review of exemptions for the luxury-vehicle tax.
The state industry body quotes Labor leader Michael Daley and shadow minister for roads, maritime and freight Jodi McKay as saying landside prices and charges had “escalated rapidly without explanation or justification” and state they have promised to put an end to “unfettered and unfair pricing practices” at the port, if elected on Saturday.
Gaining Labor support on surcharges emerges just days after RFNSW gained Pauline Hanson’s One Nation NSW branch backing on the issue from state leader Mark Latham.
Read how Mark Latham joined opposition to terminal surcharges, here
“On behalf of our members, RFNSW is pleased the Opposition has listened and acted on the concerns of our members,” RFNSW chief executive Simon O’Hara says.
“It’s time industry had a fair and robust price monitoring system at the port.”
“For over two years now, RFNSW has been fighting hard to raise awareness of these mounting surcharges imposed by the stevedores and their crippling financial impact on truck operators. It’s out of control.
“We’ve said all along that there must be an independent body called-in to regulate infrastructure and other landside charges which is why we welcome the Opposition’s pledge to formalise the involvement of IPART in the setting of port charges.”
RFNSW is pleased that McKay had responded to industry concerns over the luxury vehicle tax, stating that the ALP would maintain “all current exemptions and concessions, including those for heavy trailers”.
“Following our ongoing advocacy and dialogue on behalf of our members, Ms McKay has assured us that the Opposition is committed to a review of those exemptions, in order to protect the trucking industry and will work with RFNSW as part of that review,” O’Hara adds.
Both issues have exercised transport and logistics representatives , with the latter gaining mainstream media attention as it may have related to trucks, while the former has been a long-burn issue for the container haulage sector in the state and nationally.