Travel
High Court Rules Against State Tax on Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
![](https://digitaldailynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fedff20f34d86036b694afe812cabb92.jpg)
Australian motorists cannot lawfully be taxed by states for driving electric and hybrid vehicles.
The High Court on Wednesday ruled on a case involving Victoria’s road user tax on low-emission vehicles, launched by two electric vehicle drivers in 2021.
The court found the Victorian government could not charge electric, hydrogen and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners – known as Zero and Low-Emission Vehicles (ZLEVs) – a fee for each kilometre they travel.
Rather the road user charge is a duty of excise that can only be imposed by the federal government.
“The ZLEV charge is, as its name suggests, a tax on ZLEVs. For that reason, it is a duty of excise,” the court found.
The outcome is expected to affect more than just Victorian drivers as attorneys-general for all states and territories intervened to argue for the right to tax road users and two states have announced plans to do so in 2027.
Victorian drivers Chris Vanderstock and Kath Davies launched the lawsuit shortly after the state government introduced its ZLEV road user charge.
The law charges electric and hydrogen vehicle owners 2.8 cents for each kilometre they travel during the year and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners 2.3 cents.
Hybrid vehicles are exempt.
Odometer Submission Requirement and Penalties
Motorists are required to submit photographs of their vehicle odometer to the state government each year and, if they fail to, can be charged for driving 13,500km or have their registration suspended or cancelled.
But lawyers for Mr Vanderstock and Ms Davies argued the road user charge was a consumption tax that replaced the federal fuel excise tax and, according to the constitution, could not be collected by state governments.
Ms Davies said in a statement she was thrilled by the judgment.
“Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world on electric vehicle uptake,” she said.
“Now is not the time to be taxing electric vehicles – it’s the time to be doing everything we can to encourage people to make the switch to cleaner cars.”
Equity Generation Lawyers senior associate David Hertzberg said it was a “landmark constitutional decision”.
“Today’s judgment means that Victoria’s electric vehicle tax is invalid. It also sets a precedent which will likely prevent other states from implementing similar legislation.”
While Victoria is the only state to charge low-emission vehicle owners so far, NSW and Western Australia have announced plans to introduce similar schemes in July 2027.
The High Court decision also comes weeks after Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass released a report into the state’s ZLEV scheme, saying those administering it were inflexible in dealing with complaints and driver penalties were not outlined in legislation.
Travel
Visited App Reveals Top 25 Global Wonders Rankings
![](https://digitaldailynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2ef7f5ae32f033a64aa93248cec2ef41.png)
The travel app Visited, which was developed by Arriving In High Heels Corporation, has published a list of the top 25 most visited World Wonders. World Wonders can be found around the world, and include natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon ranked 12th or man-made such as the Eiffel Tower which is the most visited wonder in the world. Big Ben is found in the 7th spot, while driving distance Stonehenge comes in the 18th spot, and the unique ride between England and France, the Channel Tunnel, comes in the 23rd spot. Europe, followed by the United States have the highest number of visited wonders, which is not surprising as they are high on every traveler’s wish list. While the majority of World Wonders are found in Europe, a few exceptions include: Sydney Opera House, Chichen Itza, Marrakesh and the Great Wall of China.
The top 5 most visited World Wonders include: the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, Venice, La Sagrada Familia, and the Empire State Building.
The list is based on over 2,000,000 users who are avid travelers, that use the travel app, Visited. The app allows users to mark off famous places based on travel lists including most visited beaches, churches, opera houses, golf destinations, cruise ports and others. Other features of the app include: personalized travel map of where you have been or wish to visit, and travel stats and itinerary which ranks your top destinations based on your bucket list.
Travel
Live and Work on Mars? NASA’s Seeking Applicants
![](https://digitaldailynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2819_3.jpg)
NASA’s crew criteria
A series of Mars simulations
Travel
Emirates Expands Services in Australia with Second Daily Flight to Perth
![](https://digitaldailynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Emirates-Boeing-777-300-ER.jpg)
Emirates will ramp up its operations in Australia by upgrading its second daily flight between Dubai and Brisbane to an A380 starting from October 1.
The airline will also add a second daily service between Dubai and Perth operated by a Boeing 777-300ER starting from 1 December.
From 1 October, Emirates’ second A380 flight EK430 to Brisbane will depart Dubai at 0230hrs, arriving in Brisbane at 2220hrs. Emirates’ return flight EK431 will depart Brisbane at 0155hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1005hrs. All times are local.
The additional flight to Perth will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER. Starting from 1 December, Emirates flight EK424 will depart from Dubai at 0915hrs and arrives in Perth at 0005hrs the following day. Emirates’ return flight EK425 will depart from Perth at 0600hrs and arrives in Dubai at 1310hrs. All times are local.
Barry Brown, divisional vice president Australasia at Emirates, said: “We’re pleased to offer more choice and opportunities for Australians traveling from Brisbane and Perth through the ramp up of our operations. It’s a demonstration of the importance of both gateways for tourism and trade, and Emirates’ commitment to ensure convenient schedules and comfortable connections to and through Dubai. Whether it’s the advantage of seamless afternoon connections from Dubai to a wealth of destinations across Europe on the second Perth flight, or a full A380 experience to and from Brisbane to close to 50 cities served by our flagship, we’re creating access to diverse opportunities for business, leisure, culture, and more.
“The ramp up is also a testament to our commitment in enhancing global connectivity to our Australian gateways and supporting tourism and trade growth opportunities.”
Gert-Jan de Graaff, Brisbane Airport chief executive officer, said: “The A380 will allow up to 100,000 extra passengers per year to travel between Queensland and Europe, which is Brisbane’s second busiest international destination. Now in its 21st year of serving Brisbane, Emirates is our number one mover of people to and from Europe.
“Importantly, Emirates stands out from the pack as the leading airline in over the bay operations, reducing noise impacts on the local community. More than two-thirds of all overnight Emirates flights have been over Moreton Bay during the period from July to December 2023. We congratulate Emirates on that performance and look forward to continued collaboration across all airlines.
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