EV owners should contribute 'fairly' to road maintenance says minister

But MHK queries whether introducing tax goes against green agenda

Electric vehicle owners should contribute ‘fairly’ to road maintenance by paying vehicle tax.

That’s the belief of the infrastructure minister who, this week, successfully got Tynwald to approve a hike in duty.

From April EV owners will have to pay tax for the first time with their tax disc costing £65 a year:

Chris Thomas told the court vehicle duty is one of his department’s ‘most important’ revenue sources as it indirectly funds the Highways Services Division and spending on the Island’s roads.

In the House of Keys 13 MHKs voted in favour of the price hike – the first since 2020 – with eight voting against; in Legislative Council five MLCs voted for and four voted against.

The Department of Infrastructure says it believes there will be more than 13,000 electric vehicles on the Island in seven years’ time.

However Rushen MHK Michelle Haywood queried whether the decision went against government’s green agenda: