Petition launched to stop Labour’s car tax

The National Party is today launching a petition to stop the Government’s car tax, which will penalise many hard-working Kiwis for buying the vehicles they want to drive, National Party Leader Simon Bridges says.

“New Zealanders already can’t afford this Government, and Labour’s sneaky car tax grab will hit their back pockets even more at a time when the cost of living is unacceptably high.

“Labour’s car tax will increase the price of some of New Zealand’s most popular vehicles by up to $3000. If it is introduced alongside a proposed emissions tax on importers then it could hike the price of some vehicles by more than $6000.

“This policy will hurt New Zealanders, particularly those who don’t have a low-emission vehicle options that fit their lifestyles – farmers, tradespeople and low-income earners for whom these vehicles will still be too expensive.

“It’s not right that families with three kids will have to pay thousands more for a used seven-seater van so that wealthy executives can buy a cheaper Tesla Model 3 or a BMW i3.

“The Government should not be telling Kiwis what cars they can and cannot drive, and dictating to dealers what cars they can and cannot sell.

“National believes in electric vehicles. Our incentive programme launched in 2016 has seen the number of EVs on our roads increase from 1406 to 14,867. At the last election we committed to making one third of the Government fleet electric or hybrid by 2021, alongside our much bolder ambition of having 64,000 EVs in the country by then.

“We’re calling on Kiwis to make their voices heard by signing our petition and submitting on the car tax proposals by email or online survey before consultation closes on August 20.

“The best way to green our vehicle fleet is to incentivise, not penalise, people to buy low-emission cars. Our bottom line is you, which is why we’ll fight hard to stop Labour’s car tax.”

Notes to editors: National’s petition can be found here: http://www.stopthecartax.nz/

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