27 Apr 2018

Levy on petrol car imports considered by govt

From Morning Report, 7:52 am on 27 April 2018

Consumers are set to pay more for petrol, energy and possibly even their cars, under new proposals being considered by the Government. Climate Change Minister James Shaw says he's looking at putting a tax on imported petrol vehicles and using that money to subsidise electric cars, in a bid to bring down carbon emmissions. A new draft discussion paper by the Productivity Commission says New Zealand is one of the worst emitters of carbon on a per-person basis and it calls for a shift from fossil-fuels to clean electricity. Mr Shaw tells Guyon Espiner consumers can expect price rises if they don't convert their household energy sources and buy an electric car.