Us car luxury tax 2012

The addition of start-stop technology to the four-cylinder petrol models in the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class range will save customers money on fuel as well as reduce the tax they pay at purchase time.

The upgraded sedan and Estate variants of the C200 and C250 are now rated below the 7.0 litres per 100km threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles under the federal government’s Luxury Car Tax (LCT).

Dodging the LCT translates to a $300 saving for C200 customers and a $2300 saving for C250 buyers.

Under LCT regulations, vehicles priced over $57, 466 are considered luxury cars and are subject to the tax, which is payable on 33 per cent of the GST-exclusive value that exceeds the LCT threshold. Vehicles priced below $75, 375 that use no more than 7.0L/100km are exempt from LCT.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C200 and C250 sedans are now officially rated at 6.8L/100km – both down almost 10 per cent from 7.2L/100km. The C200 and C250 Estates now use 6.9L/100km, down from 7.3L/100km and 7.4L/100km respectively.

Mercedes-Benz Australia managing director Horst von Sanden said it was pleasing to help Australians evade the tax.

“Our position on the Luxury Car Tax is well known; we do not believe or accept that any vehicle purchaser should pay LCT as it is a tax on technology and safety. No other so-called luxury purchase is subject to such a regressive, discriminatory and inequitable tax, ” von Sanden said.

“No one likes to pay LCT and in this case we have passed on the BlueEFFICIENCY fuel savings so that LCT now means Less Car Tax.”

The four-cylinder petrol models join the C200 CDI, C250 CDI and C350 CDI diesels in offering standard start-stop engine technology, which switches off the engine when the car comes to a stop and automatically turns it back on when the driver goes to take off.

The C250 Coupe will get a similar upgrade from March production. Mercedes-Benz Australia’s David McCarthy said pricing details would be confirmed closer to the arrival of those cars, which are expected in showrooms from early May.

McCarthy said the entry-level C180 Coupe would not adopt start-stop technology at this stage, but said he was hopeful it too would benefit from the fuel-saving feature in the near future.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class manufacturer’s list prices (excluding government and dealer charges):

• C200 sedan – $58, 600
• C200 Estate – $60, 600
• C250 sedan – $65, 600
• C250 Estate – $67, 600