Page 31 - drive a2b october 2019

McTiernan with confirmation from to Metropolitan Taxi plates and After persistent lobbying the 10%
the Crown Solicitors Office. In were used as collateral for loans, tax was removed from regional
many regional towns, especially mortgages, held in superannuation areas with the exception of
those with long-standing taxi co- funds and to further fund costly Mandurah/Murray.
operatives, On Demand Transport taxi business infrastructure.
continued to facilitate and manage Mandurah/Murray are
the leasing of country taxi plate 2015.... included in the tax
licences and the ongoing trade.
WA suffered at the introduction of collection but remain
2004.... Uber operating initially illegally and excluded from buyback.
then continuing after regulatory
In 2004 a review of the WA Taxi changes. A Green Paper was Since late 2017 Regional Taxi
Industry was undertaken, including published, but limited consultation Operators have repeatedly
a separate review of regional was undertaken with regional requested to meet with the Minister
taxis. The extensive review by WA to understand the different for Transport without success.
Minister Ken Travers highlighted investments and business They have lobbied On Demand
the importance of regional taxi structures in those areas and the Transport and Department of
services and noted the higher significant impacts of proposed Transport to have this unfair
levels of customer satisfaction due reforms. decision reviewed.
to country taxi plates being owned
predominantly by people with a 2017.... Despite Country Taxi Plate
day to day interest in the business. Fast forward to 2017 and the Licences trading in the same
Country Taxi Plate owners were Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti, manner and for similar financial
included in the 2004 state wide announced new reforms as well as sums, Minister Saffioti chose
taxi plate buyback proposed by a state wide 10% tax that would to exclude hardworking country
Minister McTiernan. people from the same level of
fund the buyback of Perth taxi compensation buyback.
Over the decades Country Taxi plates. Regional Operators were to
Plate Licences continued to trade be expected to collect and absorb Regional Operators have invested
across the state facilitated by the 10% tax but receive no benefit significantly in Country Taxi Plate
Department of Transport. As with at all! The reason given was that Licences and the infrastructure
other states ongoing Government Country Taxi Plate Licences were required to operate their
intervention led to these plates not owned and were of negligible businesses within the law.
becoming valuable assets. value. The reform process was hurriedly
Many traded for sums similar
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