Petrol Tax Increase

The Government is increasing the price of petrol by five cents a litre due to an increase in petrol tax.

I am all in favour of more funding for roads, and petrol tax is about as good a way as possible to do that, until we have electronic tolls, congestion charges etc.

However there was no need for the Government to hit us with another tax increase. There was a simple solution. Divert five cents of the existing petrol tax from the consolidated fund to the roading fund. With a $7 billion surplus I think $200 million less consolidated fund income could be managed.

But no, this is a Government that prefers to put taxes up.