Maybe Colin should be driving a diesel mini van instead of the big Holden Caprice?

as a 4WD owner I use mine off-road all the time. we pay exorbidant taxes upfront when we purchase the vehicle, sure it's the lifestyle I freely choose so I pay it rightly so at the purchase of the car, but I factor that all into my budget and future environmental concerns and reponsibility.

I bought my hilux cause it is a reliable and economic vehicle. I dont speed and drive it to conserve fuel usage and respect the bush when off road.

it does about 10000km a year and sits in the shed rest of time as I ride to work both for fitness and the environment.

guarenteed the pollie wankers dreaming up the tax(s) pump more emissions into the environment than me. remind me what cars they all travel in when on the job......they aint hydrogen cell fuel cars......and oh yeh who pays for them?.......better ask for our money back and get them to peddle to work.

throw the monkies some more banana's.......

agree with your sentiment on hoons, let them pay!!

i dont own a 4wd myself but i agree and think its pretty stupid why punish someone for there choice of life style? if its money there looking for why dont they start with piss tests for the dole if i got to take a piss test to earn money for people on the dole i recon they should have to take one to get it! and as far as polution and unsafe on roads go, granted i do get shitty with people in 4x4 that think because there in a bigger car can just merge whenever they like ( this doesnt apply to every driver) how about the knob wanks that come flying down the street next to my house at 100kms over the speed limit or smoke there tyres around every corner surely thats more dangerous? yeh fuck it up the tax on hotted up cars and leave fourbie drivers alone!

We use more fuel than the average car hence paying more tax while purchasing fuel.

What can I say???

I use a diesil 4wd to tow my work trailer around, I chose this vehicle because it will actually give me better fuel economy to do the job that i need done that your average 6 cyl sedan or station wagon could not match. (I tow around a tonnne of gear,etc at any given time). I don't speed or accelerate erratically in order to conserve fuel (more money in my pocket) so why does the gov. deem it nessecary to tax me because I drive a particular vehicle that some other people on the road don't like. Also why are they dangerous to other people on the road if the person driving it is following the road rules??????  Surley we can put a higher tax on the people who continually break the  road rules and get away with it ( this would make more sense to me!). just your typical state gov. pollies making decisions without really caring about the people who elected them. Just another bill for me as a small business owner that I have to come up with the money for.

respect may authoritay"

for our lifestyle of going off track, launch boat from beach etc, towing the boat, I just can't believe the stupidity in the pollies, even in the city our 4x4 is a work horse, with the ute  take things to the tip or help the kids with getting or moving things for them.  Our diesel comsumption is bloody good even towing the boat.  Bob keeps all the neccesary tools, spare hubs, hydrolic jack, coolant, spare oil for ute/boat, water etc in the back of the ute, just in case.  Can't believe the pollies.  Don't we pay enough road taxes/fuel taxs for the roads.  Now the roads are another story.  Now we hear the boat rego is going to double next year, christ sake what next.  Money grabbing pigs thats all I can say

Many of us own 4bys for vey justified reasons. Like so many of us, we own one to ensure when we tow our boat from a slippery ramp, it tows the boat out. That's about sfety and responsibility. It's not a shiny without pinstripes. Another facile decision by someone that would NOT be invited to the Colin Club!

My 4 wd is primarily a tow vehicle for the boat. It does the job in a safe and reliable manner. It does about 10,000 kms a year and is on gas.

I bet the average family v8 ford or holden is using more fuel a year than I do and contributing far more greenhouse gases.

As far as damaging roads, the amount of heavy trucks on the road is what is doing the damage. That and all the hoons in their v8's and turbo jap toys doing their burn outs. Not me sticking to the speed limit and towing my boat.

Just another government grab for money. Picking on a small group as they did with the recent increase in boat rego's. Knowing that the general public will not speak out as it does not effect them personally.

much the same here our 4wd drive is on gas and its main purpose is to pull the boat. The 4wd isnt big enough for the boat as it is.

at the moment - just a useless bloody Ford Ranger that looks like one. I have 3 Patrols and a Landcruiser here at work and we could not operate without them - and most tradies and farmers have one, don't tell me they don't contribute to the economy - they are the economy. Costs are hurting everyone and yet another tax so non events like Shelley Archer can nick off overseas on the public tit before departing from Parliament where she achieved SFA except to lob before the CCC. And i suppose this will apply to the wife's Santa Fe?

back of a bus ticket more like it - this is the same government that "forgot" the $52 million plus legal expenses they had to pay Leighton Kumagai and left it out of their budget - guess where they are going to make part of that up from? All i can say is if they look at the crap their buses put out they could make a good start there. Well, i'm off to look for a Prius 4WD.

most of them have the big 4x4 towing their vans, enjoying their retirement travell up and down the coast (spending money in country towns) and then some tour around Australia.  I really am at odds with the Government, yes the road trains etc do destroy the road, you can feel the impact they have on the roads when you travel north through the steering wheel, but the truckie's have also been hit with their licenses etc for B doubles, triples, heavy haulage etc.  When the hell is it going to stop, doesn't mattter which political party you vote in they all rape you one way or they other.

We the working man/women is always hit in the back pocket, bet they haven't put the toe cutter through pollies expense accounts, perks etc.  Ex premiers get so much after out of office its offencesive to us struggling.

I think Colin and his mates like being the opposition in government because if this tax comes in its where they are going to be after the next election.There will be a lot of very unhappy 4x4 drivers who need them for work/lifestyle whatever with long memories.They will also remember the big rise in boat registration to go with it.
My fourbie is an 92 Jackaroo on gas and I use 4x4wheel drive at least 2-4 times a week,to the extent that I leave the hubs in,Be it putting the boat in/out[the best side of the ramp for smaller boats is the sand side],taking the mutt for a run down the beach or sticking the net out to get some mullet for bait or smoking.
Admittedly there are some owners who never use there vehicles for off road or towing etc,but they are allowed to choose what type of car they wish.They pay for their fuel,rego same as the rest of us.

i think its a scare tatic ,4wds owners already had the rego cost go up several years back to cover the extra damage to the roads, we pay extra for all fees and transfers and import duties /luxury car tax, what would happen in the mine sites, northwest area and farming communitys if this was introduced.  Australia is well known to have the largest number of 4WDS per head because of our lifestyle, its our choice to buy these vehicles and pay for additional running costs, .If its about pollution rather than size or weight, theres plenty of the petrol units are running on LPG , diesel models are more refined now ,Nissan and Ford have already withdrawn several models from their range because they didnt meet the polution standards set, The Goverment does need to address the situation but in the right areas rather than just slinging out at the item they see out of their office window,   iam suprised they dont charged us for us for using their GPS signal from their sattelites

Just keep a llloooonnng extension lead handy or a solar panel on the roof

maybe they should get rid of the com cars,they use 2 get around on tax payers money,there cab charges the public pay for,i myself have a diesel hilux that takes me 2 work,with my concretting tools,tows my boat,take my family out,aswell as m8s,i pay my share of tax aswell as everybody else.i think also they should tax commodore hsv drivers,wrx drivers and also the rest of the public,instead of singling 4wd owners,truckies etc? we were paying more 4 diesel b4,anyways lets organise a pettition  2 tell colin and these pollies 2 leave us alone,or we will vote them out on the next election,anybody know how we can get a pettition goin?

Dissapointed in myself for voting for them, gotta get em outta here next election!

For the people who voted in this Government all i can say is "You reap what you sow."

I bet the farmers wont have to pay the Tax, poor bastards.

And as of midnight last night the other government has cancelled the rebate for solar power, while the coal mining industry gets a rebate of 600 million dolllars.

Work that one out.

i vote everyone chips in and us fishwrecked members buy an island in the pacific sumwhere!!! run our own dam country haha

who bloody cares wat the council rates will be... the price of freedom is priceless...

so i guess everyone agrees bout this poll.. that the government is just one big money hungry vulture after the working class men n women's money for the choice of lifestyle that we already pay more tax on anyway...

ohwell i guess its bk to work and pay sum more tax!!!

If this rediculous, short on ideas/thinking government REALLY wants to intrude creditable revenue - look at boat transfers - cost is a flat fee (aroung $29.00) for ALL boats - regardless of size.

Ok so where do we draw the line, what constitutes a 4x4. Is it the fact that they are large or heavy domestic road vehicles or are they able to go off road? Take for instance a suzuki, a very economical light 4x4 popular with young folk & somewhat trendy with off road capabilities, then we have the rather large Ford F250 4x4, still one of the most economical towing vehicles on the market. Now what if that F250 was not a 4x4, would that be still subject to these ridiculous taxes as it is only a large utility, which brings in the humble Holden & Ford utility. Slightly smaller carrying capacity but still a utility. It would be virtually impossible to bring in the tax in its present form as there is no definate description of a 4x4 vehicle without discriminating against the majority of recreational or commercial vehicles.  Perhaps the govt should start by cleaning up its own backyard & setting an example. Why arn't all govt vehicles, regardless of department,  running on gas. Yea imagine Ruddy or Barnett cruzin around in a vehicle with a lpg sticker on the number plate or Mr Sheen ( K Rudd) saying no to an other overseas trip because of his carbon footprint. As previously said, this is just an idea thrown out the window to stir up a reaction from the public to give the govt ideas on wich way to go.  My thoughts only. 

another thing would it apply to the All Wheel Drives such as Rav4, Santa Fe, X5 and Luxury SUV's or just the working class 4wd's??

Get rid of them Col .

 1. They are big fuel guzzling mostly unnessary vehicles .

 2. They destroy the enviroment as soon as they go off road .

 3. There are hundreds of thousands of them across Australia [in particular mothers with kids , you have seen em ] that cannot be justifed .

 4. In a smash and shit happens they are down right dangerous to all the other car drivers out there.

 5. Only farmers or people who NEED 4x4 should be able to own them. So good move Col , its the only way to get them off the beaches and out of the bush.

 6. You can tow your boat with a F truck or something simular. So shape up this is 2009 not 1980 .

mate half the places i used to go 4wd in are going to be fully devoloped in 5-10 years anyway. what ever damage i do to the dune is bugger all compared to the housing devolopements that are going to take over. 4wd are fun and every person has a right and should have a right to own one. (are we just going to ban everything fun because of the "enviorenment"). Bloody greenies you should wake up these extremist views is bull*** whats the point of even having a good enviorenment if you cant enjoy it. btw you greenies out there, if you want to ban 4x4 then you yourself should not drive a car at all, hell you shouldnt even use a taxi cuz your supporting carbon emissions by paying for the fair. oo and you should get rid of your tv and all your electrical appliances because they give off carbon emissions to. wake up like you said this 2009 not cave man time!!!! 

Get back into your little diahatsu charade or whatever little buzz box you drive, go buy some seedlings and plant a tree far far away. Any fisho on this site would know how valuble a good 4wd is.(Even if they don't own one) Ive heard some naive comments b4, but you come close to taking the cake. I hope you buy a solar powered / electric car and may all your batteries go FLAT!

I feel sorry for all the people who acually use there 4wd's like fisherman, farmers etc . You can thank all the soccer mums and people who buy them just to be higher and think they are safer buy buying one.

I think if you need one for fishing etc, then thats mint but i hate all the 1000,s that clog the roads that never get used for the intended perpose

saltatrix . The city is a shit hole , and why do so many city [ non 4x4 ] people need 2 tonn plus off roaders when they never see any dirt . Here is the probelm .

My brother in law pays the thieving gov $208,000 a year just in fuel tax alone to drive his prime mover to Headland twice a week . Truckies more than pay there way. Without them we would be R/S. Without city 4x4 ? ouch that would hurt would'nt it .

I 'm not talking about gst . Its the tax the state and feds rake in on fuel . How would the highways running north be if not for heavy vehicle traffic . I would reckon.. shit house . There is no damage to the roads running north by trucks that I have seen . The roads up that way are as good as it gets any where in the world . Thanks to heavy haulage .

not wanting to piss anyone off but the fact of the matter is that anything that runs on Diesel polluts more as less is actually combusted so from an enviromental point of view they are doing more damage. that said for low down power and towing you cant go past them . I persoannly want to buy a 4wd patrol most likely and run it on duel fuel lpg mostly for city and petrol out bush when lpg not really available. There have been plenty of other much more efficent engines developed that are very environmently freindly but anytime something like that is made the big fuel companies buy the patient and stick it on a shelf as they dont want to risk there profits and until this practice changes and fossil fuels run out and the money for them disapears it wont change any time soon. There also needs to be major funding boosts to truely developeing fossil fuel free power sources and incentives to make this happen but the way it stands at the moment is the world is dependent on fossil fuels for just about everything we do in todays society in one form or another. I dont think that taxing 4wd is the answer to any problem other then the gov trying to make more cash. I also think that every government vehical should be at least run on lpg if not hydrogen but because of cost they wont do this.

Gst was surposed to replace all other forms of tax but this never happened and never will nad basically as we all know the only thing in life that we cant avoid is death and taxes so we can all winge as much as we want and vote out the governemnt at next election but that wont change the fact that tax increases will always happen and someone will always have to pay.

and hey lets face it if we keep going the way we are now wont be long before cars will be useless because  everything will flood and we will all need boats to get around with instead so when that happens just think about how lucky alot of u will be because ull already be ready to go with ur own boat:p

cos the government and CSIRO both disagree with you skintba.

Comparing a petrol version to a diesel version 4x4 hilux, the diesel version gets a significantly better greenhouse rating in the green vehicle guide. Same with all the 4WD's I checked. Pollutant wise there is not much to split diesel and petrol aside from particulate matter. But you use less diesel for a given range than you do petrol so diesel comes out on top.

http://www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au/GVGPublicUI/QuickCompareWebForm.aspx?CurrentTask=a8ec55b6-0265-4921-8fdc-0b007a31098c

And if you wish to check out say a 6cyl Ford Falcon for example, there is nothing to split the greenhouse rating, nor the air pollutant rating between a petrol or gas version. Food for thought huh?