{"id":"C2018A00166","name":"Road Vehicle Standards Charges (Imposition—Excise) Act 2018","slug":"road-vehicle-standards-charges-imposition-excise-act-2018","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"166 of 2018","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":436302,"registerId":"C2018A00166-fast-fetch-1775953543876","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Road Vehicle Standards Charges (Imposition—Excise) Act 2018","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.png)\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nRoad Vehicle Standards Charges (Imposition—Excise) Act 2018\n\n \n\nNo. 166, 2018\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nAn Act to impose, as taxes, charges in relation to matters connected with the administration of the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 or the Road Vehicle Standards (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2018, so far as those charges are duties of excise, and for related purposes\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\nPart 1—Preliminary\n\n1 Short title\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Act binds the Crown\n\n4 Act does not impose tax on property of a State\n\nPart 2—Charges\n\n5 Imposition of charges\n\n6 Matters relating to amount of charges\n\n7 Exemptions from charges\n\nPart 3—Miscellaneous\n\n8 Regulations\n\n \n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.png)\n\n \n\n \n\nRoad Vehicle Standards Charges (Imposition—Excise) Act 2018\n\nNo. 166, 2018\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nAn Act to impose, as taxes, charges in relation to matters connected with the administration of the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 or the Road Vehicle Standards (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2018, so far as those charges are duties of excise, and for related purposes\n\n[Assented to 10 December 2018]\n\nThe Parliament of Australia enacts:\n\nPart 1—Preliminary\n\n \n\n1  Short title\n\n  This Act is the Road Vehicle Standards Charges (Imposition—Excise) Act 2018.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. Sections 1 and 2 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent. 11 December 2018\n- 2. Sections 3 to 8 The later of:(a) the start of the day after this Act receives the Royal Assent; and(b) immediately after the commencement of section 3 of the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018.However, the provisions do not commence at all if the event mentioned in paragraph (b) does not occur. 11 December 2018(paragraph (b) applies)\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.\n\n3  Act binds the Crown\n\n  This Act binds the Crown in each of its capacities.\n\n4  Act does not impose tax on property of a State\n\n (1) This Act does not impose a tax on property of any kind belonging to a State.\n\n (2) In this section, property of any kind belonging to a State has the same meaning as in section 114 of the Constitution.\n\nPart 2—Charges\n\n \n\n5  Imposition of charges\n\n (1) A regulation may prescribe a charge in relation to a prescribed matter connected with the administration of the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 or the Road Vehicle Standards (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2018.\n\n (2) The charges prescribed under subsection (1) are imposed as taxes.\n\n (3) Two or more charges may be prescribed in relation to the same matter, and a single charge may be prescribed in relation to 2 or more matters.\n\n (4) This section imposes a charge only so far as that charge is a duty of excise within the meaning of section 55 of the Constitution.\n\n6  Matters relating to amount of charges\n\n  A regulation may prescribe a charge under subsection 5(1):\n\n (a) by specifying an amount as the charge; or\n\n (b) by specifying a method for calculating the amount of the charge.\n\n7  Exemptions from charges\n\n  A regulation may provide for exemptions from a charge prescribed under subsection 5(1).\n\nPart 3—Miscellaneous\n\n \n\n8  Regulations\n\n  The Governor‑General may make regulations prescribing matters:\n\n (a) required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed; or\n\n (b) necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n[Minister’s second reading speech made in—\n\nHouse of Representatives on 7 February 2018\n\nSenate on 18 June 2018]\n\n \n\n(12/18)\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Act is a narrowly focused enabling law that gives the executive the power to prescribe excise‑style charges by regulation in connection with administration of the Road Vehicle Standards Acts. It does not broaden its purpose beyond that enabling role: it neither sets rates nor expands the substantive reach of the Road Vehicle Standards regulatory scheme. Therefore the version provided has not grown beyond its original, narrowly defined purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Very short Act: 8 sections (including preliminary and miscellaneous provisions).","Heavy reliance on delegated legislation: primary effect and details are left to regulations (sections 5–8).","Cross-reference dependency: depends on the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 and its consequential/transitional Act for context and operation (sections 5(1), commencement s2).","Constitutional constraint: imposition limited to charges that are duties of excise under section 55 of the Constitution (section 5(4)), creating legal interpretation risk.","Conditional commencement: most provisions commence only when a provision of the Road Vehicle Standards Act begins, introducing a sequencing dependency (section 2).","Open-ended regulation-making power (section 8) increases administrative discretion and potential variability in implementation.","Delegated exemptions and flexible charging methods (sections 6–7) allow multiple charging designs, increasing practical complexity despite short statutory text.","No collection, enforcement or detailed payment mechanism in the Act—those will be specified in regulations and cross-legislation, adding implementation complexity. "],"plain_english_summary":"This Act empowers the executive to make regulations that impose excise‑style charges for administering the Road Vehicle Standards regime, without setting rates or collection rules itself. It affects vehicle importers, manufacturers and others regulated under that regime and leaves the amounts, exemptions and administration to later regulations.\n\nStates are protected from taxation on State property, and charges must be confined to what can lawfully be characterised as duties of excise."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly scoped to its original purpose. It was always intended as a constitutional 'bucket' to catch charges that qualify as excise duties, complementing parallel Customs and General charges legislation. The Act does not expand beyond enabling the imposition of excise-classified charges related to road vehicle standards administration."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short statute — only 8 sections across 3 Parts","Minimal defined terms — only one explicit definition (section 4(2) referencing the Constitution)","Heavy reliance on delegated legislation — most substantive detail (actual charge amounts, calculation methods, exemptions) is left to regulations yet to be made","Single cross-reference to constitutional provisions (section 55 of the Constitution regarding excise duties)","Simple conditional logic limited to commencement provisions (section 2) and the excise limitation clause (section 5(4))","No nested exceptions or complex operational provisions — the Act is essentially a shell or enabling statute"],"plain_english_summary":"This law creates a legal framework for the federal government to charge fees (framed as taxes) related to the administration of Australia's road vehicle standards system. Specifically, it allows the government to impose **excise duties** — a type of tax on goods produced or manufactured in Australia — on activities connected with regulating road vehicles.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Authorises charges**: It gives the Governor-General power to make regulations that set specific fees for matters connected with the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (which governs how vehicles are approved and registered in Australia).\n- **Frames charges as taxes**: It ensures these charges are legally treated as taxes, which matters for constitutional reasons (the federal government needs specific powers to levy certain types of taxes).\n- **Limits to excise duties**: Crucially, this Act only covers charges that qualify as \"duties of excise\" under the Constitution — essentially taxes on the production or manufacture of goods, or on certain steps in the supply chain before goods reach consumers.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Vehicle manufacturers, importers, and businesses involved in the road vehicle supply chain who must pay regulatory fees.\n- The federal government, which uses this mechanism to fund vehicle safety and compliance administration.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis is one of three companion Acts (alongside Customs and General charges versions) that together ensure the government can legally collect fees for vehicle regulation regardless of how those fees are constitutionally classified. This version specifically handles the \"excise\" category, ensuring constitutional validity for charges that might otherwise be challenged."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/road-vehicle-standards-charges-imposition-excise-act-2018","history":"/api/acts/road-vehicle-standards-charges-imposition-excise-act-2018/history","analysis":"/api/acts/road-vehicle-standards-charges-imposition-excise-act-2018/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/road-vehicle-standards-charges-imposition-excise-act-2018/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/road-vehicle-standards-charges-imposition-excise-act-2018/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/road-vehicle-standards-charges-imposition-excise-act-2018/documents"}}