Good news, Sydney! You can officially claim back heaps of the dosh you spent on tolls via a NSW Government relief scheme, because apparently those bastards charge you money to drive on roads.
My tiny Perth mind exploded when I learned that tolls were a thing in Sydney. Before anyone sends me angry emails like, “HOW HAVE YOU NOT HEARD ABOUT TOLLS???” I don’t live there, thus I have literally no reason to understand how the city’s roads work. My brain is occupied planning all the delightful drives I can complete in the fair, sunny city I live in without paying a cent.
But alas, I digress. This isn’t about me and my bamboozlement with tolls. This article is about you, the people who must pay to drive, and how you can claim that money back.
Drivers who spend at least $375 a year on tolls can cop a yummy 40 per cent rebate of up to $750 under the relief scheme.
Sole traders may be eligible for an extra $750, but applications for this particular rebate won’t be up and running until February 28. Sorry!
You can claim for any tolls spent from July 1, 2022, and the money should hit your account within a few days of the claim being made.
To make a claim, all you’ve got to do is link your toll account to your MyServiceNSW account and the cashola will be deposited into your chosen bank account within two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Simples!
The state government reckons half a million drivers will be eligible for the scheme, and folks from Western Sydney will reap the biggest benefits.
“We know Western Sydney families, workers, tradies and truckies are amongst the biggest users of our motorways because of the time savings they deliver,” Minister for Roads Natalie Ward said.
“This scheme is for every driver across New South Wales, but we’re particularly encouraging those in Western and South-Western Sydney to apply and take advantage of the savings on offer.”
As reported by the ABC, government data showed that drivers from Casula, Hammondville, Liverpool, Beaumont Hills and Kellyville are most eligible for the rebate.
This whole toll relief scheme will replace the free and half-price rego renewal program, which will wrap up on June 30, per 9News.
BUT! For the current financial year, you’re allowed to be sneaky and apply for both the rego scheme AND the toll relief, which sounds quite sexy IMO.
For the 2023-2024 financial year, however, only pensioners will be allowed to cop both. Per 9News, other drivers will be allowed to choose which scheme they want to benefit from.
You have until June 30, 2024 to claim for any tolls spent in the 2022-23 financial year. Run forth and get that bread, babes.
