Stamp duty removed from new vehicles

The Government is also delivering additional reforms that will support small businesses in the transport industry.

"After working with the NSW Government for almost two years in order to secure these reforms, the rural transport industry will now be asking other States to match NSW's leadership" said John Beer, National President of the ALRTA.

"The abolition of stamp duty on new vehicle purchases is something that was promised to Australian business and industry as part of the original GST reforms"

"This historic step by the O'Farrell Government is the first move from any State to start delivering on that promise. We're delighted by this decision. Other governments should now take up the challenge to make progress on these over-due reforms to stamp duty."

"We're also delighted by the O'Farrell Government's decision to reform vehicle registration arrangements for small businesses in the transport industry," said John.

The Government will provide registration discounts for small transport companies who are obliged to own additional trailers in order to service their local community.

"This is a particular problem in the Bush," John explained. "The local carrier in a small country town may be a bloke who owns just one prime mover, but he may have to own a flat-bed trailer, a grain-tipper, a stock-crate and maybe even a tanker in order to do all the jobs that local businesses and farmers need done."

"At the moment, in Eastern Australia, that bloke has to pay full rego for each of those trailers even though it's not physically possible to use them all full-time. That's thousands of dollars, for trailers that are parked up, on stand-by, for most days of the week."

"NSW will now provide a discount on 'excess' trailers owned by small transport companies."

"NSW will be the first State on the East-Coast of mainland Australia to offer this arrangement, which has been in place in Western Australia and Tasmania for some years.

"The rural transport industry will now ask Queensland and Victoria to consider similar arrangements."