Road maintenace costs scale by weight and distance, not by fuel usage, so streamlining the purchase of RUC and shifting the point-of-tax entirely to a separate system rather than building it into petrol prices makes sense.

My only concern is that rather than keeping the shift fiscally neutral, they may use the restructuring as an opportunity to reduce the road-maintenace tax burden on vehicles and pull more from the general tax pool instead, thus incentivising greater private vehicle usage.

[–] BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nz 4 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

They are lying when they say it will be based on cost and distance. If that was true 90% of the taxes collected would be paid by commercial traffic. Instead they will make sure 90% is paid by you and me while those loaded trucks tear up the roads at 1/10th the cost.

[–] Longpork3@lemmy.nz 1 points 17 hours ago

It already is based on weight and distance for diesel vehicles, which is all heavy trucks. Whether the current system costs all vehicles properly according to their road maintenance contribution is not something I can answer, but the heavier your vehicle is the more your road users cost for the same distance.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I agree that it seems to make sense. I'm curious about how it will work in practice though. The current RUC process is pretty shit, I can't imagine bringing millions of petrol vehicles into that process.

I know they have said they will have some digital system to solve it but it remains to be seen what exactly that will look like. Hard to do without GPS tracking every car 🙃

[–] Longpork3@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Simplest option for non-gps vehicles would be to have a monthly/weekly subscription for an estimated number of kms, then verification tied in with WoF checks.

[–] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Phone/web app.

Subscription based, with the ability to input "actual readings" whenever you want, with a cross check at WoF time.

Could also make it GPS enabled, but that would have major privacy and accuracy concerns.

The current system with ordering them online is good, but could be much better. Also remove the need to display your km ticket for light vehicles.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 1 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

Ah yes I am seeing how this could work. Sign people up, start charging them based on the average mileage. Let them enter their actuals through an app/website. At WOF time, verify actual usage. And you could adjust the auto-charging based on actual usage (e.g. if they only travelled 5,000km last year, this year you split it to that amount - a bit like how provisional tax works for income tax).

Also remove the need to display your km ticket for light vehicles.

That's on their list which is good.

The current system with ordering them online is good, but could be much better.

I had no idea when I was supposed to order another label until someone on here told me one of the numbers on the label was the end number and you compare with your odo. But if we don't have windscreen labels then that's not even going to work.

I want a system where I don't have to think about it (like petrol tax).

[–] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

It is easy once you are used to it.

But so many ways to make it easier.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I mean there are hundreds of thousands of people across the country handling RUC fine, so I guess it can't be that bad, but it definitely feels like it could be improved.

[–] BaconWrappedEnigma@lemmy.nz 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

It's mildly annoying to have to remember to go buy them and the slightly unnerving when you realise you've gone over. I've never got pulled up on being over and I was unwhittingly driving around for ~3 months that way.

In rural towns I'd say enforcement is passive in that they mainly rely on vehicle sales and other events to trigger re-ups. It is weird how many diesels have broken ODOs compared to petrol cars. 🤔

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 1 points 14 hours ago

Oh I never considered there might be consequences. I also drove around for months over the RUC km limit, and only recently thought to check and was several thousand km over.

I really hope they come up with a good system.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 1 points 21 hours ago

Yeah that makes sense. Maybe something that operates a bit like provisional tax, estimating based on the previous year.