Prime Minister Scott Morrison labels Labor’s emission standards a ‘carbon tax on cars’

Bill Shorten’s emissions standards for light vehicles could add almost $5000 to the drive-away cost for customers as Scott Morrison ­labels the policy a “carbon tax on cars”. Government analysis identifies the price hike and finds 17 of the top 20 most popular new cars on the market don’t meet Labor’s carbon limit.

Bill Shorten’s emissions standards for light vehicles could add almost $5000 to the drive-away cost for customers as Scott Morrison ­labels the policy a “carbon tax on cars”.

The price hike has been identified by government analysis, which also finds that 17 of the top 20 most popular new cars in the Australian market don’t meet Labor’s carbon limit.

In his strongest comments on the debate over Mr Shorten’s push for greener cars, Mr Morrison told The Daily Telegraph the emissions target amounted to a carbon tax.

“Bill Shorten’s carbon tax on cars will see the cost of buying a new car increase by as much as $5000,” he said. “Families right across the nation are already dealing with cost of living pressures and the last thing they need is a carbon tax on cars.

“This won’t just hit passenger vehicles, it will also hit tradies buying a Ford Ranger or a Toyota HiLux.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison with GCI employee Dave Lawson during a visit to GCI Group at Yatala in Queensland on Monday. Picture: Peter Wallis

Mr Shorten joined Brisbane Broncos players Ali Brigginshaw and Darius Boyd at Red Hill for a run on Monday. Picture: Peter Wallis

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Labor wants to phase in ­vehicle emissions standards so that light vehicles emit 105g of CO2/km, down from the current average level of 192g CO2/km. The Climate Change Authority wants the standard in place as soon as 2025.

The government analysis makes use of work from the Australian Automobile Association and the Centre of International Economics and finds that the proposed emissions standard would add up to $4863 to the cost of a new car.

The Hyundai IONIQ electric car.

The analysis finds that more than 230 popular vehicles would increase in cost under the targets.

The price hikes vary by make and model, but on average across the whole fleet, Holdens would go up by $2258, Hondas by $2682, Hyundais by $2429 and Fords by $1609.

The analysis says that 17 of the top 20 most popular new cars bought by Australians do not meet Labor’s carbon limit.

The most popular car in Australia, the Toyota HiLux, has an emissions intensity of between 186-277g CO2/km.

A Labor campaign spokesman argued that the government was “split”.

They pointed to comments from 2017 where Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that “if Australia had fuel efficiency standards in line with comparable nations, estimates of the fuel saving per passenger vehicle could be above $500 per year”.

Originally published as Prime Minister Scott Morrison labels Labor’s emission standards a ‘carbon tax on cars’