Martin Glynn: AA Transport Policy Director on the potential introduction of widespread road user charges

A sudden shift to road user charges may mean a fairer system for all drivers.  

Fuel excise tax could be gone —and petrol cars hit with the charges from 2027— under the Government's Revenue Action Plan.  

It's also exploring tolling for all new roads, including the Roads of National Significance.  

AA Transport Policy Director Martin Glynn told Mike Hosking it amends a system which isn't as efficient as it could be. 

He said with vehicles becoming more fuel efficient, a widespread tax will also mean more revenue for the government. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Some more change coming to our roads. It looks like
drivers won't pay fuel exercise taxes anymore, but road user
charges instead. So how would it work? What's it mean?
The AA Transport Policy Director Market Glenn's with us Martin
morning to you as an idea.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Do you like it? Yeah, for a couple of reasons. One,
petrol spetials come a lot more efficient for new vehicles,
so it's not fair for older vehicles doing the same
amount of roads as newer vehicles to be doing it.
And technically the petrol taxes without fuel systemcy is does

(00:37):
not raise the revenue we need for the system anymore.
There's a big there's a big gap. Government put the
grants and loans in our TV and it's increasing the debt.
So we really do need a system change.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
And having rucks and everyone pays rucks, would that make
it simpler?

Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's more about making it fairer for everybody. You know rucks.
It's how many klimeters do you drive? So for the
same time the called same type of eple pay the
same amount.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
So you use it, you pay for it. It's as
simple as that. How much of it's a revenue grab because,
as you say, as you go with the you're not
going to the petrol station anymore in the government panic
and they need the DOE.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
I don't think it's I think I think it's a
revenue grab. That's about everybody paying the same amount. But
with vehicles being becoming more fuel effic in it, you know,
it will mean more revenue for the government.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Is this the future by the time we do this,
By the way, this isn't coming until twenty twenty seven.
You do that plus some sort of congestion time user charges,
et cetera. Is this the way of the future.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Well, we'd have to see exactly what the government is
proposing once he's done a bit more work. It's kind
of a huge change getting all the petrol vehicles on
to ruck. That's something like three and a half a
million vehicles, so it's a three quarters of our fleet.
One of the big questions is whether we are moved
to our current system with a whole other changes, or

(01:58):
whether it'll be electronic radios of charges, which would actually
require devices and vehicles. So it's not clearly whether this
is going to be a stipping stone to there, or
that's going to go radical and go electronic radios of charges.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Okay, well we've got a couple of views to wait
and find out about it. Martin, appreciate it, having a
good weekend, Martin Gloom, who's the AA Transport Policy Director.
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