Semi-conductor shortage critical

SUPPLY ISSUES FOR CRUCIAL SEMI-CONDUCTORS ARE CAUSING MAJOR PRODUCTION DISRUPTIONS FOR THE WORLD’S LARGEST CAR MAKERS

- KATHRYN FISK

VIC ROADS

Rego: pay by the kay

COULD IT REALLY HAPPEN?

CAR REGISTRATION FEES in Victoria could be relegated to the history books within 10 years.

A strategy recently released by government advisory body Infrastructure Victoria, proposed that rego should be ditched and replaced with a pay-per-kilometre system.

Such a system has previously been rejected by the Government and Opposition, despite the Andrews’ administration bringing in such a charge for electric vehicles only a matter of weeks ago on July 1. EV owners must now pay 2.5c/km for a BEV or 2c/km for a PHEV.

It’s now up to the State Government to decide whether or not to implement Infrastructure Victoria’s proposals – which form part of a 30-year strategy to overhaul the local transport network.

The blueprint includes 94 recommendations for changes which could be made over the next three decades, and takes into account more people working from home due to COVID-19.

“Our final recommendations consider the medium- to longer-term impacts of the global pandemic. Despite the current challenges, Victoria will continue to grow and transform,” said.

IT WAS NOT that long ago, June to be exact, Toyota was telling us all it was not affected by the current global shortage of semi-conductors.

When other manufacturers were either admitting their production was starting to really suffer – or keeping their heads down and hoping the storm wouldn’t come their way, the Japanese giant was claiming all was well because it had been “forward planning”.