West Australian Motorists ‘Short Changed’ By Federal Govt: RAC

Motorists in Western Australia are being “short changed” by the Federal Government when it comes to motoring-related taxes.

That’s according to a report commissioned by the state’s peak motoring group, the RAC, which examined WA’s return against taxes paid by the state's motorists.

The report found for every dollar the Federal Government collected from WA motorists, only 41 cents was returned through spending on the state’s roads.

“In the past year, it is estimated the Australian Government collected $2.3 billion from WA, but invested just $944 million dollars,” RAC’s Will Golsby said. 

“Canberra is cashing in at the expense of WA’s motorists, with the majority of funding flowing to projects in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria or into consolidated revenue.”

Mr Golsby said WA was facing “significant” road safety and infrastructure challenges, and called on the Federal Government to provide more funding for road projects.

The RAC says more people are killed on WA roads (per capita) than any other mainland state, with an average of one death every two days in 2013.

The Club believes a road toll per capita more closely aligned with other states could see around 33 lives saved.

MORE: Road Toll Down But Australia Behind On 2020 Target: AAA

Federal Government