If you want to drive, pay up: expert proposes tax on electric cars
19 February 19:31
Fuel expert and director of the A-95 consulting group Serhiy Kuyun has spoken out about the critical condition of Ukrainian roads and called on the government to urgently increase funding for their ongoing repair. He placed particular emphasis on the need to change the approach to taxation of electric vehicles. This was stated in his Facebook post, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Roads are a strategic issue
According to the expert, the deterioration of road surfaces is increasing business costs for logistics, vehicle repairs, and delivery delays. In wartime, motor transport has become crucial for imports and exports, so the condition of roads directly affects the economy and defense capabilities.
The “road” budget for this year is about UAH 12 billion. At the same time, according to estimates by road services, an additional UAH 25-30 billion is needed for normal operational maintenance of the road surface.
Excise taxes are rising
Kuyun recalled that revenues from fuel excise taxes have increased significantly:
• 2023 — about UAH 63 billion;
• 2025 — UAH 141 billion;
• this year — up to UAH 180 billion is expected.
In his opinion, part of these funds should be directed specifically to the current repair of roads, and not just to other budgetary needs.
Electric cars do not pay
The expert separately raised the issue of filling the road fund at the expense of electric transport. He noted that electric car owners do not actually pay fuel taxes, have customs privileges and minimal excise duties, but use the same road infrastructure.
In addition, due to the significant weight of their batteries, electric cars create an increased load on the road surface.
According to Kuyun, the principle should be simple: all road users should contribute to the financing of road maintenance.
Appeal to the government
The expert appealed to government and parliament representatives, in particular Yulia Svyrydenko, Danil Getmantsev, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, and Andriy Gerus, with a proposal to review approaches to road maintenance financing.
According to him, without prompt decisions and additional resources, the situation with the condition of the road surface could lead to large-scale economic losses.
