THE Australian Logistics Council says it wants clarification from the New South Wale Opposition that a proposal to increase stamp duty will not apply to commercial and heavy vehicles.
According to the ALC, NSW Labor has previously indicated it would raise the tax rate from $5 per $100 to $7 per $100 for vehicles with a market value over $100,000, marketed as a “luxury car tax”.
“Trucks are purchased every day to support small business and ensure that groceries, medicines and other essential items are delivered and available for purchase by consumers,” ALC chief executive Kirk Coningham said.
“They are not a luxury item,” he said.
“Any new tax on the supply chain will ultimately flow through to consumers – particularly for rural and remote communities that are fundamentally dependent on trucks for their lives and livelihoods.
“Again, a truck is not a luxury – it is a basic necessity.”
Earlier this week, Opposition leader Michael Daley has indicated he was open to compromise. “If there is some inherent unfairness in [the tax], of course we are willing to sit down with people and remove that unfairness,” Mr Daley told reporters this week.
