REVENUE FROM VEHICLES

Hokitika Guardian, 2 September 1924, Page 3

REVENUE FROM VEHICLES

PROPOSALS BY LOCAL BODIES.

AUCKLAND, Aug. 30,

It is estimated that a Dominion revenue of £(100,0(10 a year is involved in proposals put forward hv the Auckland conference of local bodies in respect of licensing charges for vehicular traffic. It is estimated that there tire SO,OOO motor vehicles in .New Zealand, these including private cars, motor lorries, and motor-cycles, and as far acun be estimated there are 5000 horse drawn vehicles. The new Motor Vehicles Bill suggests certain methods which the local bodies, as represented at the Auckland conference, consider inadequate to suc.li an extent that they have postulaUad diflpreufc provisions. These include, first of all, the registration of all vehicles and the issue ni annual licenses to lie l»a>e»I on tMit methods ol* assessment, ns engine power, weight ol’ vehicles, and passenger oarryiiHi-eapaeity. A feature o. these proposals is that the license lees, instead of j£njn<r to the Main Highways Board, for main highways only, should go to local bodies for expenditure on roads, collection ol Ices, and supervision of expenditure to be undertaken In- the National Highways Hoard on that basis of computation.

Registration lees would amount up prnximately to CIO,OOO, distributed in this manner: 15,091) motor-cars, and lorries at Cl each; 5000 motor-cycles at 10s each, and 5000 horse vehicle.-, also at 10s each. It should lie noted that the total of 950.000 would for the first year of the new system only, but ns against non-recurring revenue l‘rum that, an estimated total of something like 10,000 ears and lorries would he added each year, these, eontribut ing new income to the roads turn!.

In the matler of annual licenses based on engine-power, it may • be j estimated that 30,000 licenses,. at. an average of C 5 15s for each private ear | would yield a revenue of £207,000. j Then there will be approximately j 100,000 drivers, who, if licensed ill an annual rate of 5s each, would mn-; tribute C 25.000. An estimated total of 0000 commercial vehicles, if licensed at an average'of CIO each, would produce an additional £300,000, while 5(M)I) motor-evclcs at an average ol 910s would add C 12,500. fn addition to these, there are. say. 5000 horsedrawn vehicles, averaging CO each, t.tribute COO,OOO. 200 motor-buses paying £75 each on an average, yielding C 15.000, and 000 trallicars at a Hat rilte of 15s each, producing Cl.ifl. These give a total of C 010.050 from the aggregate revenue annually. As stated, however, certain ded i tions must he allowed, since private ears, lmrse-drawn vehicles and motorcycles in rural areas, to be doh, ' l ‘ ( f have only to be charged at halt of the proposed rates for annual license-.. This miv be set down as ■ > ■ leaving a total prospective yearly re venue <if nearly £OOO,OOO.