Wealthy jet owners dodge 15-fold fuel tax
Australian drivers pay 53.7 cents per litre in fuel excise while private aircraft pay just 3.556 cents per litre, a 15-fold gap.
Why it matters
A tax break for the wealthiest shifts the burden onto ordinary Australians already stretched by cost of living pressure and raises fairness questions about who government policy favours.
In Australia. Australian households facing mortgage and grocery stress are subsidising private jet owners through unequal tax rates; closing the gap could fund services or ease budget pressure.
Key facts
- 53.7 cents per litre
- Motorist fuel tax
- 3.556 cents per litre
- Private jet fuel tax
- 15 times higher for motorists
- Tax gap ratio
- $1.2 billion
- Four-year budget impact
- The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates aligning these rates would add about $1.2 billion to the budget over four years.
- Greens leader David Shoebridge called on the government to close the gap, saying it amounts to a publicly funded gift to billionaires.
