Green Vehicles Duty Scheme

The Green Vehicles Duty Scheme sets differential stamp duty costs for new light vehicles to provide an incentive for the purchase of low emission vehicles and a disincentive against the purchase of vehicles with poor environmental performance. The Green Vehicles Duty Scheme is an action under Weathering the Change – the ACT Climate Change Strategy, and represents an important step towards reducing the ACTs climate change impact.

Under the Green Vehicles Duty Scheme, all new light vehicles will have a Green Vehicle Rating of A, B, C, or D, on which duty rates will be based. A better environmental choice will mean you pay less stamp duty! The ACT Green Vehicle Rating is based on a combination of two environmental ratings from the Commonwealth Green Vehicle Guide: the greenhouse rating, based on a vehicle’s carbon dioxide emissions, and the air pollution rating, a measure of noxious pollutants that reduce our air quality. 

Vehicles with an “A” rating will pay nil stamp duty. Vehicles with a “B” rating have an environmental performance significantly above average, and will receive a duty discount. Vehicles with average environmental performance have a "C" rating, and duty rates will be unchanged.  “D” vehicles have below average environmental performance, and will pay a higher rate of duty.

Note: Duty rates for motor vehicles are set by a Disallowable Instrument made under Section 139 of the Taxation Administration Act 1999. The new Green Vehicles duty rates will commence on 3 September 2008.

Further Information

Brochure: Green Vehicles Brochure ( PDF 801Kb)

Fact Sheet: Green Vehicles Fact Sheet ( PDF 537Kb)

The Green Vehicle Guide website is run by the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, and can be found at http://www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au