Green Vehicles Stamp Duty Scheme

The Green Vehicles Stamp 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 ACT’s 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.

ACT Green Vehicle Rating	Environmental Performance Score (out of 20)	Green Vehicle Guide Star Rating
A - Environmental leading edge models	16+	5 Stars
B - Models with environmental performance significantly above average	14+	4 & 1/2 stars 4 stars
C - Models with average environmental performance	9.5+	3 & 1/2 stars 3 stars
D - Models with below average environmental performance	Under 9.5	2 & 1/2 stars 2 stars 1 & 1/2 stars 1 star

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.