Next step legislation incorrectly drawing in motorcycles latest mis-step by Government, says MIA.

THE organisation speaking of behalf of almost all New Zealand’s new distributors has taken a shot at the Government over inclusion of motorcycles in impending emissions regulations, saying it’s an error illustrating “this is a Government of mistakes.”

The direct criticism from the normally apolitical Motor Industry Association arrived today, with a media share in about the impending Clean Car Standard, a next step on the emissions regulation popularly known as the ‘ute tax’ that has since April 1 penalised passenger vehicles emitting 192 grams or more of CO2 per kilometre and given rebates of up to around $8200 to those that put out low or no emissions.

From January 1 distributors will also potentially face penalties, with the Land Transport Clean Vehicles Amendment Act, which enables the Clean Car emissions standard.

The regulations are designed to impact on cars and light commercial vehicles, including the one-tonne utes that are still very popular, yet are also generally poor performers for exhaust nasties.

The Act applies to any motor vehicle that weighs under 3500kg, but goes on to define vehicles that will incur penalties or earn credits under the Clean Car Standard as light passenger vehicles or light commercial vehicles – namely cars, SUVs, utes and vans.

The MIA’s principal technical advisor, Mark Stockdale, says that means the standard also conceivably applies to any importer of a road-going motorcycle.

“It all comes down to interpretation … and whether the section on the Clean Vehicle Standard only applies to light passenger and commercial vehicles, or all light vehicles.

“The problem is that under the Act any importer of a light vehicle has to set up a CO2 account and record the CO2 emissions values of all light vehicles they import before they can be registered – which includes motorcycles and potentially electric bicycles – even if they aren’t subject to penalties or credits.

Stockdale (above) says the MIA was under the impression the Act only applied to cars, SUVs, utes and vans and was “incredulous” to recently learn from officials that all importers of light vehicles have to set up a CO2 account by December 1.

“What makes it more farcical is that motorcycle importers can’t obtain CO2 data for their motorcycles, so they can’t enter any data in the CO2 account, and they have no CO2 targets under the Act anyway,” he cites.

“It’s all a pointless exercise and a mistake in the drafting of the Act which will put motorcycle importers to unnecessary extra work.

“What with the rollout of the Clean Car Discount causing issues for used car importers in particular, this mistake will create new problems for both new and used motorcycle importers, and other vehicles which are also meant to be exempt, like special interest vehicles or low volume vehicles.

“It’s another illustration that this is a government of mistakes,” he said.

The MIA says the solution is for an emergency amendment to the Act to clarify that vehicles declared to be excluded in the accompanying regulations, are excluded from the whole section on the Clean Vehicle Standard.