The head of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) in Australia has welcomed the news of the Government’s plans that will result in new incentives for Aussies to make the switch to hybrid and fully-electric vehicles.
The Government’s plan comes in the form of an amendment to Treasury Laws, otherwise known as the Electric Car Discount Bill, that has recently made its way through the Federal Parliament.
In essence, the amendment scraps the import tariff for a plug-in hybrid or fully-electric vehicle that is priced under the Luxury Car Tax threshold of $84,916.
The amendment also makes these specific vehicles exempt from the Fringe Benefits tax, which when combined, provides Australian punters with much more attractive buying conditions than we’ve previously had.
Last year, the FCAI praised the Victorian government for leading the charge on electric vehicle incentives for buyers which outlined 20,000 subsidy packages offering up to $3000 for buyers of an EV priced under $69,000. FCAI’s chief, Tony Weber, said:
“Car makers support financial incentives as part of a wider range of policy measures. This is an important step that complements the Government’s plan to develop an electric vehicle strategy and the current review into fuel quality. Ideally, the new year will see action in the area of a federally mandated emissions target for the light vehicle sector.”
