by Will Devlin

As a state government employee who is close enough to the action to know, I can say with a degree of certainty, and little fear of contradiction, that the issue of 'unregistered and (third party injury) uninsured' motor vehicles, many bearing registration plates that are cancelled, is both alive and well and the cause of significant concern in the Far North. 

So, I propose the bare-bones outline of a plan to remediate this situation, save the Government money and consign the incidence of lapsed motor vehicle registration and insurance to the dustbin of history. 

It's based on an idea that did the rounds MANY years ago in South Australia and was brought back to my mind in the brain-numbing misinformation that is the current State Election campaign.
 
Now, regardless of one's political allegiances, I doubt there's anyone in the Far North - indeed the State - who hasn't had a gutful of various governments hitting the wallet of the motorist over the years. 

Have you ever considered the moronic notion that a 2012 eight cylinder Holden, which is economical in real and relative terms, costs significantly more to register than a 2002 Nissan Patrol Turbo Diesel four cylinder - an engine that spits more pollutants into the atmosphere, weighs almost twice as much and therefore (at least in theory) does twice as much damage to the road surface as the late-model Holden? 

Consider also, that it costs the motorist the same to register the six cylinder Holden used by the major breadwinner, and which is used much more often, clocks up many more kilometres, as the six cylinder Ford used to drop off the kids at school and do a shopping run once a week.
 
When the idea I am about to propound first did the rounds in South Australia, it was thwarted, from memory, by the fact that small business did not want to get into the business of being a 'tax-collector'. 

Well, that argument now holds no water, on two fronts:

(i) "small business" in the industry to which this plan relates effectively no longer exists - it has been held to ransom by big business - particularly the 'grocers' who seduce you with a 4 cent fuel voucher!; and
(ii) the tax collector name tag has been usurped completely by the introduction of the GST - where ALL business now acts as an unpaid collector for the Federal Government.  Indeed this idea has some parallels with the GST which I'll talk about later.
 
So, instead of paying our motor vehicle registration and insurance, the State Government increases the price of fuel by an amount that, taking ALL the kilometres Queenslanders (and that's important) travel in a year, will cover the cost of what the Government recoups in a standard year of registrations, and which they then pay the insurers out of the revenue they receive (dependent on which insurer the individual nominates). 

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Let's say, for want of an argument, that that figure amounts to 20 cents per litre (of course, you WILL continue to get your vouchers from Coles and Woolworths won't you?).  So, on day one of this new structure, petrol increases 20 cents per litre.
 
Why would you do that? Glad you asked.
 
Firstly, the owner of car that does the most kilometres, thereby causing more damage to the roads and requiring resources to be placed accordingly (road workers, Police, traffic signals) pays more for the privilege of using the road. 

The cost of the soccer-mum's car is significantly lower because it spends less time on the road, covering fewer kilometres and devouring much less fuel, intoxicating the atmosphere that much less.
 
Secondly, no need to save up $800 or more to spend on the registration of the car - and that's only going to get higher - over the course of the year.  Every time you fill up, you add to the Government's coffers.
 
Thirdly, as there is effectively no registration department, staff can be allocated to other Government departments on an 'as needs' basis, based on voluntary redundancies both at Transport and other departments.
 
Fourthly, and this is the real 'kicker', EVERY vehicle travelling into or through, the State of Queensland, gets to contribute to our bottom line (it's for the people to keep the incumbent Government honest in respect to how those funds are spent). 

This is the parallel to the GST about which I spoke earlier.  The BIG EARNER for the Federal Government in the GST is the collection of tax from people who otherwise NEVER contributed to the tax-base of the country. 

In respect of the GST, that cabal of people included tourists, and, remember this CHILDREN.  I recall my daughter, who was about eight at the time, writing to a local paper about the 'unfairness' of GST on show bags.  She was eight! 

The point is that every tourist who drives here and buys petrol or diesel contributes to Queensland's coffers, albeit a little at a time.
 
The REAL BENEFIT is that every motor vehicle registered in Queensland will ALWAYS be registered; the cost saving to the public purse (consider Police time, Court time, SPER time) would be enormous.  Hey, I might even get a redundancy myself!
 
Food for thought?