Wednesday, 21 June 2023 15:14

Elon tax?

Written by The Hound

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OPINION: This old mutt suggests farmers and tradies will be delighted to learn that the exorbitant ute tax they are now paying is helping wealthy Aucklanders buy subsidised Teslas.

According to the latest figures, the Government's controversial 'clean car discount' scheme has seen buyers of 9,730 Teslas getting a combined total of $83m in rebates from the scheme - averaging about $8,500 a car.

Meanwhile, a regional breakdown of these sales shows that many of the suburbs where these cars are registered are well-known for their wealth.

The clean car discount scheme works by giving refunds of up to $8625 off the price of the cleanest new EVs when they are first registered and is paid for by slapping a $5,175 fee on utes.

It appears the country's ute buyers are subsidising the owner of Tesla - the world's richest person - Elon Musk to the tune of $30 million a year.

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