REPORTED plans for a new tax on truck freight at the Port of Melbourne is of great concern to the Mildura council, which has called on the Victorian Government to reconsider.
Documents from the Transport and Planning Department reveal that a road freight tax is being considered for trucks loading and unloading at the port.
It is believed the Victorian Government will charge a per-container tax of at least $100 on trucks delivering freight to the port, the rate depending on the size and age of the vehicle.
Mildura Mayor Liam Wood said he was concerned that the new tax would be a significant financial hit for the Sunraysia community.
“Given the ongoing need for major upgrades to the rail network, including completion of the Murray Basin Rail Project, our region is still heavily reliant on road transport, meaning we could be among regions hardest hit by this new tax,” Cr Wood said.
“This means increased costs for our local transport operators, which will then be passed on to local growers and businesses transporting goods into and out of our region.
“And of course, it’s our broader community who will then feel the impacts of these increased costs at the checkout.
“We need more information from the Victorian Government on how income from this new tax will be spent, the impact on regional areas and how much of it will be invested in our region – whether it is rail or road upgrades.”
The proposed tax is believed to be going towards funding the Port Rail Shuttle Network project, which is intended to modernise Melbourne’s existing transport networks to remove congestion around the port.
Member for Mildura Jade Benham echoed Cr Wood in calling on the state government to rule out the “ludicrous approach” that would “raise the cost of freight on roads”.
“Instead of making rail more competitive by investing in it, this will simply make road freight more expensive and is no solution to Labor’s long neglect of Victoria’s rail freight network,” Ms Benham said.
“Not to mention, the state of our roads are far from the standard to be carrying additional freight.
“Labor should fix the rail freight network in order to bring costs down rather than impose a sneaky tax that will do little to improve freight route efficiency and will be passed on to Victorian families who will pay more for goods.”
Victorian Ports and Freight Minister Melissa Horne was contacted for comment.
