Nambour’s Ken Mills Toyota Principal Director Brett Mills has raised concerns over the  impact of a new tax proposal on family vehicles, including SUVs, utes, and 4WDs. 

Labor’s new vehicle efficiency standards legislation has been dubbed  a “new family car and ute tax” by the Coalition. 

The Coalition says prices of popular models, like the Toyota Landcruiser, could surge by up to $25,000.

Mr Mills said he understood the need for a fuel efficiency standard, but the proposal was too aggressive.

“It won’t just add cost to utes, this will affect popular SUV’s and passenger cars that dominate the roads and driveways of the Sunshine Coast, even hybrid variants get dragged in,” Mr Mills said.

“The standard will force product to market which, with current technology, simply will not fulfill the purposes needed by consumers in many cases.  

“Consumer sentiment around buying low emission vehicles, the development of low emission propulsion technology and necessary supporting infrastructure all point to the need for more time. More time results in a less damaging execution, reduced affordability, less choice and compromised durability to consumers, this will be the inevitable outcome under such an aggressive proposal.”

Member for Fairfax Ted O’Brien echoed the concerns, highlighting the timing of the tax amidst a cost-of-living crisis. “This is the last thing families on the Sunshine Coast need,” Mr O’Brien said. “It’s going to make essential vehicles like the Hilux and Ranger significantly more expensive.”

The tax could also have broader economic repercussions, threatening jobs across Queensland. 

“The Coalition is willing to engage on emissions reduction measures and we support the take up of EVs, but we do not support policies that fail to strike a balance between getting emissions down, minimising costs and maximising choice for all Australians,” said Mr O’Brien.