A few surprises here, namely that PHEVs will pay a lower rate of RUCs, I was under the impression there would be a rebate scheme for petrol purchased.
No revisions to the weight brackets, which I imagine will be necessary before all vehicles eventually go to RUCs.
I don’t know why they don’t change it to RUC for every vehicle; get rid of the variable of fuel usage.
If you drive an older car that gets 10l/100km, you pay at least twice the road tax as someone that drives a modern hybrid that is in the 4-6l/100km range. So the road tax is favoring those that can already afford to buy a modern efficient car.
That was a campaign promise, and is part of the coalition agreement between National and Act, as far as I know.
There have been discussions around an E RUC system, which I hope comes through. The existing systems are aimed at companies rather than individuals, and buying RUCs is a pain in the ass.