Victoria will become the first state in Australia to tax electric vehicle drivers after a controversial law is passed by Parliament.

The Andrews government’s electric vehicle tax passed without amendment in the upper house on Tuesday night, paving the way for a charge of 2.5 cents for every mile driven on state roads from July 1.

The Victoria Greens vehemently opposed the bill, but it passed 19-14, with the work winning the support of Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick, Reason Party MP Fiona Patten and Justice Party MPs Stuart Grimley and Tania Maxwell and

“We know the transition to electricity is critical to our goal of reducing emissions and mitigating climate change,” said Transport Matters MP Rod Barton, who also voted in favor of the bill.

“However, electric vehicles will continue to use the roads and we will have to continue to pay for them.”

Green MP Sam Hibbins said the tax would make Victoria a “global laughing stock” and ensure the state continues to lag behind in the adoption of electric vehicles.

“This is climate vandalism in the midst of a climate crisis,” the party spokesperson for transport said.

“It was a big test for the upper house, and they failed. Rather than standing on the side of climate action and the Victorian people, they decided to turn around and stand for nothing.”

An alliance of 25 carmakers and environmental groups had also written to lawmakers urging them to vote against the plan.

The letter, signed by Hyundai, Volkswagen, Uber, the Electric Vehicles Council and the Australian Institute among others, described the tax as “the world’s worst electric vehicle policy”.

The tax is expected to bring in $ 30 million over four years and cost the average owner of an electric vehicle between $ 260 and $ 300 per year.

Owners of electric vehicles will be required to keep a log of their trips for five years and could face charges if they fail to produce logs.

Treasurer Tim Pallas said he was happy the tax was passed by Parliament.

He described it as “modest,” at about half the rate other vehicle owners pay through fuel excise.

“It’s a matter of fairness, of making sure everyone pays for the use of the road, but it’s also about realizing that the adoption of electric vehicles will be very substantial in the future.” , Pallas told reporters outside parliament on Wednesday.

Less than 1% of Australian vehicles are electric, but the treasurer predicts adoption will increase as they reach price parity with gasoline-powered cars by 2025.

“All of the major manufacturers around the world are effectively halting their research on the internal combustion engine, which means that we will increasingly see electric vehicles become predominant on our road network,” Pallas said.

He said the state government has also spent $ 100 million to support the adoption of electric vehicles.

Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said it was “foolish” to subsidize electric vehicles while imposing a “big new tax” on them.

“It’s like turning on the heating and the air conditioning at the same time,” he says.

“This government is more interested in increasing revenues than in supporting the environment or promoting the adoption of electric vehicles.

South Australia was the first state to announce plans to introduce a user charge on electric vehicles, but has suspended plans until July 1, 2022.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced a “holistic” tax plan for electric vehicles in next month’s state budget.

Australian Associated Press