The car rego rip-off

[Calliope]

That makes me the odd one out up here then I guess ?

Strangely enough I don't know anybody who drives an unregistered vehicle, although I do know some parents who have to pay their children's rego fees to keep them honest.

Driving an unregistered vehicle is often the jumping off place for more serious crime, and a lot of arrests are made by pulling over unregistered vehicles.

Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma Bomber, America's deadliest terrorist prior to 7/11, was apprehended by an Oklahoma State Trooper while fleeing the scene in a vehicle without licence plates. He was already behind bars when they started looking for him.

 

[Ageo]

So the point of having the RTA (NSW) and registering vehicles etc.. is so that all the profit goes back into the roads??????
:beat::beat:

 

[white_crane]

Rego is Qld has gone up twice since fugly got in again. An extra $90 on my bill thank you very much. And wtf is a traffic improvement fee? We should refuse to pay it - I don't see the traffic improving. The highway up here looks like it's been through 10 years of civil war.

 

[theasxgorilla]

No. The real question is how much lower the registration fees would be if Victoria would collect the fines from the lawbreaking serial offenders that they catch on their "efficient" traffic surveillance systems?

Buddy, that's the thing, they wouldn't be any lower, it's fabricated revenue... balance sheet bolstering. Do you really think the "few bad apples" in Victoria have $700 million in liquid assets???

If I let my car become unregistered, then drive at 120 km/h up and down the freeway between Geelong and Melbourne for a month I will incur a speeding fine every time I pass by a fixed speed camera. I will also incur a fine for driving an unregistered vehicle, which I'm guessing by now is on the high side of $600. Assume one unrego'd vehicle fine per day, 30 days in a month, 600 x 30, and you get $18,000 AUD.

Okay, so now the road authority has a debtor on their ledger to the tune of $18,000 and they convince you all that regos need to go up because they can't get the $18k because they can't find the offender and even if they could getting $18k out of a bloke who is not paying his rego is like, umm, trying to get blood from a stone???

This is not the issue. The issue is the road authorities need money to carry out their business of maintaining and developing road infrastructure. If my serial offender had paid his rego Vicroads would have $600, not $18,000... where do they get the $17,400 shortfall to continue funding their projects and operations?

Your angle is a beat up, and when you analyse and run the numbers it doesn't make any sense. All that I know is that Australia's road infrastructure sucks and the money to fund maintenance and improvement projects won't come from people who don't have it ie. folk who can't afford to pay their rego.

It would be better to raise petrol taxes so the people who are using the infrastructure pay as they go... then we can go back to blaming the politicians for not allocating revenue where it was earned, instead of being turned on one another (divide and conquer).

 

[MrBurns]

Strangely enough I don't know anybody who drives an unregistered vehicle, .

If you drive an unregistered car presumably it's also uninsured, so if you hit GG's Bentley you will be personally liable for a repair bill of possibly $50,000 ? and the insurance company wont let you walk away from that.
While I'm on it if you drive over the (grog) limit ,even just a fraction and you hit a Bugatti Veyron (GG's weekend drive) you aren't covered even if you are insured - you will have to sell your house to pay the bill.

AND if you hit someone and they die you will be up for manslaughter and in jail for a long time.

 

[Smurf1976]

It would be better to raise petrol taxes so the people who are using the infrastructure pay as they go... then we can go back to blaming the politicians for not allocating revenue where it was earned, instead of being turned on one another (divide and conquer).

Or we could just take the existing petrol taxes and acually spend the money on the roads (or rail, public transport etc to reduce traffic on the roads) instead of bailing out those who make dud investments or want a new TV...

 

[Trevor_S]

If you drive an unregistered car presumably it's also uninsured, so if you hit GG's Bentley you will be personally liable for a repair bill of possibly $50,000 ? .

I doubt you would be up for anything, according to him he doesn't register his vehicle, as he knows no one that does. Once you are unregistered you woudl be on your own, insurance wise.

 

[Julia]

Or we could just take the existing petrol taxes and acually spend the money on the roads (or rail, public transport etc to reduce traffic on the roads) instead of bailing out those who make dud investments or want a new TV...

Exactly.

I doubt that it's a coincidence that all these extra charges (rego, rates, electricity etc) are rising exponentially on the back of State governments finding their budgets are so much in the red.

As always, the taxpayer foots the bill for the ongoing incompetence and poor investments of governments.

 

[MrBurns]

I doubt you would be up for anything, according to him he doesn't register his vehicle, as he knows no one that does. Once you are unregistered you woudl be on your own, insurance wise.

Ahh yes but GG's Rotwieler lawyers would go berserk.

 

[Smurf1976]

Exactly.

I doubt that it's a coincidence that all these extra charges (rego, rates, electricity etc) are rising exponentially on the back of State governments finding their budgets are so much in the red.

As always, the taxpayer foots the bill for the ongoing incompetence and poor investments of governments.

The average person would be truly amazed at just how much all the competitive tendering, consultants, outsourcing, disaggregation etc is costing. It's nothing short of an outright fortune.

Sure, there are various regulators especially with electricity. But bottom line is if costs keep going up then they end up getting approval to pass that on to consumers. Nobody seems to be qestioning WHY costs keep going up so much - see my first paragraph for a large part of the answer to that.

What most don't realise, is that in order to suit the economists and accountants entire engineering projects have been built that aren't actually needed. The only purpose they serve, is to facilitate "competition" and make sure things can be properly accounted for. And they get built by ridiculously expensive means, again to make sure everything is "competitive" and accounted for.

Then those who were effectively forced to build such things go to the regulators saying they need more money which they eventually get (from consumers).

Much cheaper to just build only what is needed and build it in the cheapest way that is sound in engineering terms. I'm thinking here in terms of energy industry, but I've seen examples which suggest it's much the same with other infrastructure too.

 

[Calliope]

Your angle is a beat up, and when you analyse and run the numbers it doesn't make any sense. All that I know is that Australia's road infrastructure sucks and the money to fund maintenance and improvement projects won't come from people who don't have it ie. folk who can't afford to pay their rego.

It would be better to raise petrol taxes so the people who are using the infrastructure pay as they go.

You seem to have the quaint idea that people don't pay their vehicle taxes or their traffic fines because they can't afford it. Do you think that GG and his friends in Townsville don't pay rego because they can't afford it? The tens of thousands of non-payers do so for purely selfish motives.

On the other hand many of my friends are age pensioners and they can't afford it, but they pay because they are responsible citizens and can't risk losing their licences, and losing mobility.

I do agree with you that all vehicle taxes should be paid at the petrol pump, i.e proportionate to road use. Then the guy down the road with his gas-guzzling Hummer who drives 50000k per year would pay much more tax than I do driving my Corolla 5000k per year.

 

[sting]

Qld rego is due to rise by up to 30% in one hit.

I agree the person should be registered and insured as said before you can only drive one vehicle at a time. I am considering getting rid of one of my vehicles. At present I pay rego and full comprehensive insurance for my wifes car, my 4x4, an ex ambulance that rarely gets used it has cobwebs on it, a scooter, a boat and trailer, and a camping trailer.

And lets face it the car insurance is based partially on the drivers record I would happily pay one insurance even if it is based on the higher price vehicle.
I have worked out that I pay $1000/yr for rego + Ins on a ford transit ambulance that is used for less than 3000k per yr if that. I originally brought it to convert into a camper as it has extra suspension, dual rear A/C, 12 volt power points, side lockers, it even has drop down drip bag hooks from the roof if I have had a heavy night on the piss. I have been persuaded by the Minister for Finances not to bother cos she wont be going camping in it. My city girl wife whose idea of camping on Fraser Island is roughing it in a 2 bedroom villa at Kingfisher Bay Resort as opposed to me a bush bred kid whose military life has seen me sleep in the dirt with a hootchie.

All these price hikes will result in more uninsured and unregistered vehicles on the road witch will again lead to more increases until eventually we end up going back to Shank's pony to get around.

 

[Sunder]

RE: Vic's unpaid fines.

There is an ad campaign on the radio at the moment says that after a while the late notices for fines will stop coming in. Then you can't register your car the following year...

Isn't that like telling a bankrupt we're going to levy late payment fees on top of your interest?

If they're serially not paying fines, what makes you think they're paying rego?

Maybe number plates should be made of LCD screens with a timer on them. When the rego is up, the plates blink for your grace period, then go black after that, unless they're reset by someone at the RTA.

 

[Calliope]

Exactly.

I doubt that it's a coincidence that all these extra charges (rego, rates, electricity etc) are rising exponentially on the back of State governments finding their budgets are so much in the red.

As always, the taxpayer foots the bill for the ongoing incompetence and poor investments of governments.

Yes that is right. I was talking tongue-in-cheek when I suggested that collection of unpaid fines from unregistered drivers could lower vehicle taxes.

Rising rego charges are an unstoppable force in good times as well as bad. We are a cash cow and an easy target. At budget times the governments don't even consider whether they should raise vehicle taxes. It is a given.

 

[MACCA350]

As usual they'll hurt many honest people with laws that won't even phase the dishonest ones it was meant for

cheers

 

[theasxgorilla]

You seem to have the quaint idea that people don't pay their vehicle taxes or their traffic fines because they can't afford it. Do you think that GG and his friends in Townsville don't pay rego because they can't afford it? The tens of thousands of non-payers do so for purely selfish motives.

I actually have no idea who doesn't pay their rego or why. All I know is that if there are $700 million in outstanding fines in Vic, that's approximately $200 per registered vehicle. And making someone who drove 104 km/h in a 100 km/h zone pay for a funding shortfall just makes people resentful and feel like they're living in a police state.

I do agree with you that all vehicle taxes should be paid at the petrol pump, i.e proportionate to road use. Then the guy down the road with his gas-guzzling Hummer who drives 50000k per year would pay much more tax than I do driving my Corolla 5000k per year.

And while we're at it, how about compulsory annual roadworthy checks? Then we also know people are driving in safer vehicles on safer roads.

For all our wonderful shock campaigns about speed and drink driving and our police force and their enforcement technologies we still can't seem to make our roads as safe as those crazy Europeans driving around on their glorious motorways in their luxury cars (don't start me on the luxury car tax scam, denying the middle class access to better quality motoring).

I suspect you get what you pay for. So, if you want to shift responsibility for road infrastructure/safety to fine payers who aren't paying, I don't think you can expect to see these stats improve much either.

1 2

Australia 7.7 7.9
Finland 6.4 6.4
Germany 6.2 7.4
Israel 5.9 9.6
Japan 5.7 10.3
Denmark 5.4 7.7
Great Britain 5.4 6.3
Norway 5.2 6.5
Switzerland 5 5.9
Sweden 4.9 5.9
Netherlands 4.5 7.7

1. Road fatalities
per 100,000
inhabitants

2. Road fatalities
per 1 billion
vehicle-km

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

 

[Macquack]

And while we're at it, how about compulsory annual roadworthy checks? Then we also know people are driving in safer vehicles on safer roads.

I could not believe it when I heard that car owners in Victoria and Queensland do not have to have their vehicles inspected annually.

Living in NSW, I have had to go through the ritual (hassle) of getting a "pink slip" inspection every year for at least thirty years.

About time the other states caught up with the NSW "red tape"/safety policy.

 

[Calliope]

I could not believe it when I heard that car owners in Victoria and Queensland do not have to have their vehicles inspected annually.

Living in NSW, I have had to go through the ritual (hassle) of getting a "pink slip" inspection every year for at least thirty years.

About time the other states caught up with the NSW "red tape"/safety policy.

I think it is because there are so many unregistered vehicles on the roads in Vic. and Qld. that it wouldn't work.

 

[Julia]

Nobody I know in Townsville pays rego. Its a waste of money. Just don't pay it.

gg

Why don't you pay it, gg? Certainly not because you can't afford it.
Do you consistently drive in unregistered vehicles? How is it you are not prosecuted for driving an unregistered vehicle?

Seems a bit sad to me that poor people scrape together their rego fee which presumably goes higher on the basis of many factors, not the least of which will be those who don't pay.

 

[Smurf1976]

I could not believe it when I heard that car owners in Victoria and Queensland do not have to have their vehicles inspected annually.

Living in NSW, I have had to go through the ritual (hassle) of getting a "pink slip" inspection every year for at least thirty years.

About time the other states caught up with the NSW "red tape"/safety policy.

I'm no expert, but the statistics I've heard quoted are that unroadworthy vehicles are at most a very minor contributor to serious accidents, therefore it's a waste of resources to have mandatory inspections.

Also I can imagine a lot of people would make temporary changes to a car (like swapping tyres from one vehicle to another) to pass the inspection and then reverse the changes immediately afterward. Those into cars as a hobby wouldn't find it much hassle at all.

Far more effective to just have some random checks in my opinion, like they do with breath tests etc. Cheaper too.