Victoria Liberals promise $50-a-week toll cap ahead of state election

The Victorian Liberal Party is vowing to cap tolls at $50 a week if it wins the state election later this year.

Under the proposal, people driving cars, light commercial vehicles and a business fleet of up to five vehicles will be able to apply for a quarterly rebate that could save them up to $2600 a year if they spend $100 a week on tolls, with a yearly cap of $3000.

If the Liberals win the state election, to be held in November, the policy will come into effect on July 1 next year and run for two years.

It will cost $90 million, but Opposition Leader Jess Wilson believes it will provide hip pocket savings to all Victorians.

“By capping tolls for two years, a Liberal and Nationals Government will boost our economy and ensure families have more money to put towards the things that really matter,” she said when announcing the policy on Sunday.

Shadow Roads Minister Danny O’Brien said the policy would benefit families and tradies during a cost-of-living crisis.

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“Our toll cap will bring down the cost of the daily commute or school drop-off, make it easier for families to plan their weekly budget and give tradies a massive boost.”

The move follows a similar scheme in NSW, where drivers who spend $50 or more a week on tolls can claim a rebate of up to $350 a week or $5000 a year.

The cap would apply to all of Melbourne’s toll roads, including the CityLink, EastLink and the West Gate Tunnel, a $10.2 billion project that opened in December after years of delays.

The CityLink and West Gate Tunnel are operated by Transurban, which also operates toll roads across Australia.

In its latest financial results, the company said it made more than $1 billion in profit from its toll roads in Victoria alone.

The EastLink is operated by ConnectEast.