The National Party is calling on the Government to introduce urgent legislation enabling reductions in road user charges (RUCs) following its move to relieve pressure at the pump.
The Government announced last week it would cut fuel tax and road user charges by 25 cents each for three months to help relieve the soaring costs amid the current global energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine.
However, there were no details on how this will be available for commercial vehicles as there is no excise tax on diesel.
National Road Carriers Association has already warned that it is no simple task and fuel relief for truckies could be months away.
National’s transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says those who drive diesel vehicles and those in the trucking industry are still waiting for the promised relief.
“Determining what the temporary reduction in the RUC should be is a complicated calculation, however it is critical that this is undertaken as quickly as possible.
“More difficult is the fact that Section 85 of the Road User Charges Act requires the Government to give 42 days’ notice of any change in the RUC rates, meaning diesel vehicle owners will be waiting another six weeks before they get any kind of relief at the pump.
“The cost of moving goods and services around the country has a direct impact on the cost of living. The sooner these changes can be applied, the better for New Zealanders suffering from the rapidly increasing cost of living we are currently facing,” Brown says.
