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[NSW] Free Vehicle Registration When Spend More than $25 a Week on Tolls over 12 Months @ NSW Government

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Spend more than $25 a week on tolls over 12 months and you could be eligible for free vehicle registration.

From 1 July 2018, owners of standard cars, utes, four-wheel drives and motorcycles who have spent more than $25 a week on tolls over the last 12 months will save on registration costs for that vehicle. It will also be backdated to allow motorists to claim free vehicle registration if they spend more than $25 a week from July 1 2017.

The scheme will apply to private drivers who regularly use e-toll on the M2, M4, M7, the Eastern Distributor, the Cross City tunnel, the Lane Cove tunnel, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Harbour tunnel and NorthConnex. Drivers who use the M5 will continue to have access to the cashback scheme.

Private motor vehicles weighing more than 2795kg, such as trucks, are not included in the scheme.

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  • Thanks OP but if we dont apply cash back on M5, is it eligible to have free rego?

    • +1

      Thanks OP but if we dont apply cash back on M5, is it eligible to have free rego?

      It would have been quicker to click the link above and find the answer from the source not someone who posted this.

    • +5

      A push bike has no rego. Time to put one of those bogan two Stoke engines on me bike and ditch the car.

      I hope me thongs from lowes arrive soon

  • +3

    So that's a rtn trip in the cross city tunnel? :-)

  • Nsw or rms is pretty good. Recently moved to Victoria and their service and processes are so poor

    • +10

      Everyone continues to complain until they find something that is worse.

      • Unforunately that seems to be the Australian way.

        Little do people know how lucky they truly are and how amazing this country is in so many aspects..

        Global IHDI Rankings
        Global HDI Rankings

        It would seem we have inherited the affinity of constantly complaining from the british, which I feel is best summed up by the old addage "Whinging Pom"

  • +39

    Not up on my toll roads, but are any of those toll roads now privately owned (ie not 100% government)..

    If so, this seems like the complete opposite of a good governmental financial decision

    • +2

      Transurban is a private company that owns 50% of the M7. They're also the 13th biggest company on the ASX 200…

      • +41

        Excellent… So we decide if a a good idea for make toll roads privately owned (and therefore trade off an ongoing revenue source for a one off payment that's likely already been wasted)
        And now, we won't collect registration fees from those that use them a lot.

        Remind me again why people think our tax revenue isn't wisely used :/

        • +6

          I don't know why you negged this.

          It's simple really.

          The government is is helping a struggling small business by providing incentives for people to use their services. The battlers, who are continually struggling, get free rego so the money they save they can spend on health-giving smokes and beer. The government, who are also struggling, gets lots of feed-good vibes from the voters which will help out at election time, and if not there's always a board position at Transurban.

          Winner winner chicken dinner.

          Lots of happy people all round.

          Why don't you want people to be happy?

        • +1

          @D C: I don't think you see the big picture here, government works for it people not for business, tolls shouldn't need to be around after the road has paid itself off, it'd not a business

        • +1

          This is like the ebay discounts. Just wait for transurban to increase the tolls because customers are getting a discount elsewhere.

        • @asa79: Problem is that they never pay themselves off (especially tunnels) due to the ongoing operating and maintenance costs.

        • +1

          Well said. This is an absolute abomination of public policy.

        • Obviously gearing up for the next election.

          Dont forget that CTP will still apply

        • +2

          One of multiple ways to siphon off Public Money to Private Organisation(s).. (1) Sell off the income earning asset to private at a much lower value (2) Encourage people to use the private organisation services more (3) Reduce income earning potential on other Govt sources for people doing (2)..

          Edit: Realise that @Mischaseb had the exact same comment below.

        • @asa79:

          I don't think you see the big picture here

          I think your sarcasm detector need re-calibrating.

        • @Amayzingone: CTP is a small amount of the Rego

  • +24

    What if I average giving them $25 per week in fines, that should qualify for free rego.

    • +1

      maybe have to pay double rego

  • +22

    Just shows what a rort tolls are when a government runs promos.

    • Please explain.

      • Where's your brother?

      • -1

        Racist red headed red neck! (Pauline?)

        • +9

          Watch yourself

        • @Paulinehanson:

          Only joking. You’re our saviour Pauline!

        • @hardya: except you are a muslim or an asian

    • +5

      gotta subsidise the profits of the construction companies

  • +31

    Closely followed by a toll increase across the board to fund the free regos…

    • +9

      Bingo

    • +1

      its already up on the message boards along the M2, toll increase from 1st July!

    • +4

      But he has brought Victorua endless tourism economic growth by exhibiting urine drenched graffiti laneways occupied by homeless vagrants

    • +23

      I'm not sure that funding roads with taxpayer money, then giving the roads to their corporate buddies and making taxpayers pay a toll per use is good government. Pretending that they care about cost of living pressures is laughable.

      • +5

        I guess you havn't heard of the West Gate Tollway Tunnel that Daniel Andrews has got Transurban to build down here.

        It did not go to tender.
        Its cost has blown out by 10 fold.
        It's a free way that ends a set of traffic lights.
        It will have a city tax for users.
        It won't fix the congestion on the actual freeway it's meant to duplicate.

        Failure.

        • +5

          You forgot the bit where Andrews will give transurban an extra 10 years of 4.5% price increases, giving them an extra 15 billion

        • +1

          It seems a bit silly to say the cost had blown out ten-fold. The $500m cost was for a completely different road, an elevated 4-lane road. The current project is a 6-lane tunnel. Though they are both alternatives to the West Gate Freeway, that's where the similarities end. And the government contribution is $2bn so a 4-fold increase on a more direct route with an extra 50% capacity. You can argue about the value but it's not correct to say it's a 10-fold increase when they are different projects.

        • @dazweeja:

          If you think this project will be on budget and on time (unless they are giving them an extra year in prediction of delays) than you would be mad haha

        • @diddy50: that's not what he said. He was simply stating the difference between the original proposal and the current project.

          It's the same as when people were complaining of $90 billion to build the NBN, numbers people make up to suit their own agenda.

          And what do these mean anyway? Is $1 billion worth spending on this? Or 4 billion? How about a $1 billion hospital? Or $3 billion? These make no sense without putting into context and understanding the impact.

    • +8

      Great work from Gladys?!?!

      Instead of ripping down and rebuilding a perfectly good stadium at a cost of billions, she could remove all tolls everywhere. That's when it would be called "great work".

      Or building more hospitals. That would be "great work".

      But running a promo where the requirement is that you spend $1300 a year on tolls, on roads where you just sit there burning fuel (thousands more), and wasting time instead of being with family (whats that worth??)…. just to get "free rego" is a joke.

      Great work my foot.
      It's a hopeless shameful promo that only highlights how desperate she is to buy back votes and try to hide how inadequate her planning decisions have been. Sydney is a joke, no wonder people are leaving in droves!

      • Why is building more hospitals great work? I work in one. I know that every new hospital just ends up with increased patronage, increased healthcare spending and no guaranteed improvement in health economics or outcomes.

        Health care spending seems to be valued over roads, even thought it's already 10% of our GDP. You also have to ask, if these toll roads were publicly funded instead, where would we get this money? Increased taxes? Increased registration costs? What balance would you like to achieve?

        • Hahaha…. you don't honestly believe that do you? :)

          The reason patronage increases is because there is A NEED FOR AN INCREASE TO AVAILABLE HEALTHCARE!
          More people don't just automatically get sick when you build a hospital, there's waiting lists years long to get in!

          How about instead of the Government giving billions a year to private health company profits for a services they DONT provide (junk policies), and instead make public healthcare mandatory and payable by every single person. Its better everyone gets charged 2% and given to the Government, instead of effectively 1% to the health fund for absolutely nothing in return. The system is broken.

          And I don't know where you are getting your assumptions from- of course there would be an improvement to health and outcomes.
          Someone waiting for a knee reconstruction for instance would get back to work sooner.
          Outpatient care for people waiting years for things to happen wouldn't be as overloaded as they are at present.

          You are assuming that just because there isn't a hospital that those people aren't currently being treated, and that's very shortsighted.
          They are being treated, it's just being done outside the sphere of a hospital, and at a far greater expense and inefficiency in their own home or through their GP.

          And if you are worried about paying for it, how about you lobby the Government to make better decisions… like NO to new football stadiums when the current stadium is perfectly fine, or NO to 50 Billion in tax cuts to big business when they are already paying jack all in taxes anyway (no top tier company is actually paying the highest tax rate, and its laughable that the Government is telling us they need even more relief when they pay less than we do!).

          That's the balance I would like to achieve, since you asked.

    • +3

      Umm she is the one who announced the M4 toll just last year!

      • -1

        And we're the most tolled state in Australia, and actually the world. Yet no congestion charge, which would actually have a purpose.
        But yeah… "great work"

        • -4

          Where did you get that NSW is the most tolled state in the world? Don't put stupid comments like that which simply aren't true at all. Sydney has 8 tolls, Florida in US has at least 15 and I'm not even sure if it's the most in the US!

        • @jimmytseng:

          Actually once the westconnex and other roads are finished by 2020 or something we will apparently be the most tolled city in the world according to the papers.that is in terms of money not how many tolls but how much the tolls charge and make.

        • +2

          @jimmytseng: sydney is a single city, florida is 170,000 square K's. bit of a size difference.

          Tolls are utter nonsense and line no ones pockets but the companies that built them and the power brokers who take big back handers. There should zero toll roads for any city as poorly serviced by public transport as sydney.

  • Anyone know if privately registered vans are eligible? They don't mention vans in their examples. Closest is a Toyota Hilux and according to Google, a Hiace is 2000kgs (lighter than their listed Landcruise examples)

    Also, how do they determine that a car has been eligible? What if someone has two cars and one tag - swapping the tag as needed when using a toll road? Are they going to manually inspect tag + rego on each trip? They already have a vehicle identification fee if you don't carry your tag - wouldn't a tag + rego confirmation be the same
    amount of work?

    • +1

      It doesn't matter it is a van.

      Who is eligible for free registration?
      You must be a resident of NSW, and your vehicle must be registered in NSW, for private use. The vehicle mustn't exceed the maximum private motor vehicle weight of 2794 kilograms.

      • That's what I assumed - just didn't see a single mention of a van, but mentions many other vehicles!

  • Excludes M5??????

    • Drivers who use the M5 will continue to have access to the cashback scheme.

      • -1

        So I can't get both? Cashback and free rego?

        • +1

          Customers that use the M5 South-West Cashback scheme will have to choose to continue with the Cashback scheme or use the Toll Relief program.

          The website has all the information you need.

        • @spaceflight: thankyou it's my lazy day :)

        • +1

          @Dr Cheapo:

          That's what weekend's are for!

    • Drivers who use the M5 will continue to have access to the cashback scheme.

    • Drivers who use the M5 will continue to have access to the cashback scheme.

    • +1

      The M5 is already a carpark with cashback scheme, imagine adding this to it, you'd have to prepare yourself for overnight stays.

  • +7

    Spending $1300 to get free rego, now that is a bargain.

    • +15

      It is if you are spending the money already

      • +3

        Genuine question - How many Ozbargainers are spending $1300 a year on tolls? I'd much rather wait 10 minutes in traffic (according to google maps anyway) than spend $8 on the ED toll. How much time are the rest of you saving by taking toll routes?

        • Alot of time saved. Whilst I still think it's a rot, easily saving 15 minutes+ (ED then cross city). I have had times adding 30 mins to the trip skipping ED.

        • @googleyahoo69: I guess if you value your time highly, that's fair and square, I just don't see it fitting in with the Ozbargain mentality. Being a uni student my time is worth nowhere near as much as $10 to save 15 minutes, especially just lazily sitting in traffic (for now anyway :P)

        • @charlesli679:

          For a few reasons.

          1. We travel at most once every two months, so the damage is relatively low. If I am a regular traveller (ie. For work, I would adjust my travelling time to avoid the peak hour gridlock and not use the ED).
          2. Fuel efficiency. Sitting 15min+ in almost idle traffic is no good. Petrol also cost money.
          3. Frustration with the other minority selfish commuters (those that cut lanes recklessly to save a few seconds) and bikers in gridlock traffic (sorry, not against riding but the M5 section leading upto ED entrance is no where suitable for bikes where cars are doing 7/80km compare to the 50 odd kms on bike. Seen a few dangerous encounter because another car was avoiding a bunch of bikers).
        • Previous job working on the North Shore (no trains) I was spending $5,200 a year on tolls (that was M2 and lane Cove tunnel every day). so plenty of people do! New job I catch the train and love it!

        • @googleyahoo69: I'm not local to NSW, but in VIC, you can easily sit in a car park on 'tolled' roads that are meant to be free flowing. Is this the case in NSW? So you can essentially pay a lot for a few minutes saving rather than the expected

        • +1

          @Lv80:

          Yes. Sometimes the toll roads are more conjested than the free alternatives in NSW too. Mind you they do everything they can to close off, narrow or otherwise make hell travel on the free roads to force you onto the motorways.

        • @syousef: Yup…because if the toll roads don't get their quota…the public pay for it anyway..WTF!!

        • +1

          @Lv80:

          They build it right into the contract now. Must close or narrow the following roads. No need for corruption, when it's legal and open conflict of interest.

  • +5

    hidden agenda

    • +2

      Yep. "Dear NSW tax-paying motorists, as the free registration if using tolls was taken up so well, we are now introducing a congestion tax……"

      • I hope so because getting the grandma's and grandpa's, trucks etc out of peak hour traffic is a very smart idea, pity most Aussies are not so smart as our European counterparts.

        • How did they manage to do this without pissing off the oldies and logistics companies?

        • @xravisher: Turns out not everyone needs to be at a certain place at a certain time. Perfect for those who can't think outside the box …. give them a carrot to point out the obvious.
          I work from home, however 3 or 4 times a year I have to go into the office. I just told my boss I would not be onsite before 10am, and they said fine. How many employee's think to do that? Most would say "as if my employer would let me do that" without even asking them.

  • +2

    So which government party is responsible for this farce? Or rather which greedy, brainless individual was responsible for selling off what should be roads for the people?

  • I would use these motorways if the free include green slip .

  • +1

    must be a big backlash from people who need to use the road as urban sprawl pushed them into areas without a train network ……..

    I'm sure they've done the maths based on past data (hence backdated to 2017) to determine how much it costs, how much PR it gains, and how many votes it gains.

    Now to see if Victoria can do something similar …. some of our toll roads are due to be handed back to the state, but transurban is offering to build a new toll roads if they get the ones due to expire extended for tolling.

  • +4

    Promoting increased revenue for private company while subsidizing that with tax payers' money, how is this even legal?

    Transurban has an interest in 16 urban motorways in Australia and the USA.
    Sydney, Australia:
    Hills M2 (100% shareholder and manager)
    Lane Cove Tunnel (100% shareholder and manager)
    Eastern Distributor (75.1% shareholder and 100% manager)
    M5 South West (50% shareholder)
    Westlink M7 (50% shareholder)
    Cross City Tunnel (100% shareholder and manager)

    • +1

      Time to vote labour?

      • The problem is that there is no guarantee from whoever is elected to do the right thing and hot air is not considered a guarantee.

        • +1

          True that, no political party is your friend, just have to choose the worst!

      • +1

        I would always trust Labor over the Liberals. Liberal's have cut so much out of health, universities, TAFE, ABC/SBS, schools, transport and so much more. Yet their senior leadership is happy to take from the taxpayer and fly their partners around the world.

        In Victoria, the Liberals made the below cuts in just a 4 year period:

        *Ripping almost $1 billion out of schools and axing the Educational Maintenance Allowance and School Start Bonus
        *Slashing over $1 billion from TAFE, with campuses closed across Victoria and 2400 teachers sacked
        *Cutting funding to ambulances and hospitals that saw a blow out in ambulance response times and hospital waiting lists
        *Sacking 4200 public servants and closing dozens of offices that were delivering frontline government services
        *Cutting 400 staff from Victoria Police including essential forensic experts
        *Ripped $120 million from V/Line and developed secret plan to cut 100 jobs.

        Not even babies and young children were safe from Liberal cuts, with the whooping cough vaccination program cruelly cut.

        • +1

          its a cyclic pattern like in companies, libs cut too much and labor employs too many. federals also have the same, its on news, not hidden secret, demerging departments or increasing for job numbers. thats the price of democracy vs communism. the swing is too much to get anything done properly and correctly. theres no long term, just 3 - 5 yrs short term plans, politics and warming their bums on the seats before their next replacement arrive. its going to be elderly having the most benefits when the population ages where the votes are.. no more benefits for working people. enjoy while u have and still can, while it lasts.. lol..

        • +1

          its a cyclic pattern like in companies, libs cut too much and labor employs too many. federals also have the same, its on news, not hidden secret, demerging departments or increasing for job numbers. thats the price of democracy vs communism. the swing is too much to get anything done properly and correctly. theres no long term, just 3 - 5 yrs short term plans, politics and warming their bums on the seats before their next replacement arrive. its going to be elderly having the most benefits when the population ages where the votes are.. no more benefits for working people. enjoy while u have and still can, while it lasts.. lol..

        • +2

          its a cyclic government, like in companies management, libs cut too much and labor employs too many. federals also have the same, its on news, not hidden secret, demerging departments or increasing for job numbers. thats the price of democracy vs communism. the swing is too much to get anything done properly and correctly. theres no long term, just 3 - 5 yrs short term plans, politics and warming their bums on the seats before their next replacement arrive. its going to be elderly having the most benefits when the population ages where the votes are.. no more benefits for working people. enjoy while u have and still can, while it lasts.. lol..

        • I wouldn't trust political parties, they're out to get elected, one focuses on the budget, one focuses on unions, one focuses on the environment and many other ones just focuses on their own agenda.

        • @jimmytseng:
          Liberals supported by toll construction businesses.

          Labor supported by toll construction unions.

          Greens supported by those that want public transport instead of cars.

          Jerry, lock in Greens.

        • @orangetrain: Only problem is those same Greens drive cars and dont use public transport. But they expect everyone else to do so.
          Its been proven time and time again that The Greens have double standards…one for them and one for everyone else

      • Labor is who sold off all the roads in the first place. Not that liberal is better, they're far worse, but it just shows how f-ed the country is.

    • Well actually there is NO increased revenue for a private company at all.

      And there is NO subsidizing with tax payers money either.

      Just because you dont have to pay rego doesn't mean you received a subsidy with tax payers money my friend.

  • -1

    This "deal" feels like a rip off for a majority of folks with a little kick back to a minority while enriching the 0.1%:

    The majority of toll roads in NSW are owned and operated by private companies under concession arrangements in partnership with the NSW government. Private companies, for example Transurban Limited which currently owns 100 per cent of the M2, LCT and CCT, 75.1 per cent of the Eastern Distributor and 50 per cent of the M5 and M7 under concession until
    between 2026 and 2048, are engaged by the government to finance, build, operate and maintain these motorways. The private companies receive in return the right to collect revenue from the operation of the roads for the duration of the relevant concession period with the roads to then be “handed over” to the government. Concession periods may be extended
    by agreement between the company and the government and this has recently occurred with respect to the M2 (by 2.1 years), M7 (by 11.4 years) and the LCT (by 11.5 years) in connection with the NorthConnex project.

    • How is it a rip-off for majority of folks?
      How is it a kick-back for the minority?
      How is it enriching the 0.1%?

      You quote has absolutely no relevance to your claims

      • Majority of NSW residents don't spend $1300 per year on toll roads, yet this "deal" is paid out of their tax money and they don't get any refunds
        Only minority of NSW residents will get back their rego fee, exactly those who use roads the most and should be paying for their rego
        Tax payers money from rego refunds flowing into the profits of the private corp 77% of which is owned by other corps

        Quote does have a slightly indirect reference to the claims, hopefully the points above make the thoughts clearer.

        • Sorry thats not correct!
          You are deliberatly twisting the facts.
          Its not PAID out of tax dollars. The recipient doesnt receive any money at all.
          Tax payers rego refunds do NOT go to private corps. They c=go into pockets of the car owner - again twisting the facts.
          You would make a brilliant politician my friend.
          Even better - sign up to run Bill Shorten's campaign. You fit the brief perfectly.

        • @Amayzingone:

          Its not PAID out of tax dollars. The recipient doesnt receive any money at all.

          Then where does the money to pay for their rego come from if not from tax revenue?

  • +4

    how about they use the money to buy back the toll road?

  • +1

    for those using the M5….

    get ready for a toll on the tunnel/s.

    Yep - you may get your 'chargeback' for the section between Heathcote and King Georges BUT you will be tolled for the tunnels.

    This Liberal scam - attempting to buy votes.

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