Wednesday, 21 June 2023 15:14

Elon tax?

Written by  The Hound

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.

More like this

Dodgy!

OPINION: If you believe Maori Party president John Tamihere’s claim that “nothing dodgy” occurred at Manurewa Marae during the last election, the Hound has a bridge to sell you.

Oblivious

OPINION: Despite clear and negative feedback from the peasantry, the mainstream media have decided that their excrement doesn’t stink and they’re going to continue riding their moral high horse into oblivion.

Non, Paris!

OPINION: Critics of NZ’s commitment to the Paris Accord, such as Groundswell and others, continue to push for an exemption for ag, arguing that the threat of trade retaliation is more hypothetical than real.

Waffle man

OPINION: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sometimes can't escape his own corporate instinct for evasion, and in what should have been a soft interview with ZB's Mike Hosking, Luxon unnecessarily "made a meal of it", to paraphrase Hosking.

Banks on notice

OPINION: Shane 'Matua' Jones, crusader against all things woke, including "woke banks", couldn't have scripted it better when his NZ First colleague Andy Foster had his Members' Bill drawn from the ballot recently.

Featured

Farmers will adapt amid global trade turmoil

New tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump signal an uncertain future, but New Zealand farmers know how to adapt to changing conditions, says Auriga Martin, chief executive of Farm Focus.

National

Machinery & Products

Alpego eyes electric power harrow

Distributed by OriginAg in New Zealand, Italian manufacturer Alpego recently showed its three metre Alysium electric power harrow at the…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Dodgy!

OPINION: If you believe Maori Party president John Tamihere’s claim that “nothing dodgy” occurred at Manurewa Marae during the last…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter