You Pay Tax to Work. Then You Pay to Get There.

3-minute read

Before you leave for work, income tax has already taken a share of what you earn.

Then you fill the car. Fuel excise is part of the pump price. GST applies too. If your route uses a toll road, you pay again. You haven’t bought anything exciting. You’re trying to get to work.

That’s what makes the cost of living argument feel so disconnected from real life. People hear that inflation is easing and wonder why the weekly budget still feels awful.

In the year to July 2026, Australian prices rose 3.5%, according to the ABS. That was slower than the month before. But slower inflation doesn’t mean prices have gone back down. It means they’re rising more slowly. Housing and food were still costing more than a year earlier.

A working day has a price tag

Take the Gateway Bridge. A car crossing costs $6.02. Use it in both directions, five days a week for 48 working weeks, and the tolls come to $2,889.60 a year.

That money comes out of income you’ve already earned and been taxed on. It doesn’t include fuel, registration, insurance, parking or the cost of keeping the car on the road.

Some people can change their route. Others can’t do it without adding a lot of time to the trip. When the practical choice is between paying money and losing hours, it doesn’t feel much like a choice.

Read our breakdown of what a daily Brisbane toll commute costs in 2026.

Where does it end?

Income tax, GST and fuel excise are taxes. A road toll is generally charged as a fee for using a particular road. The legal labels matter. So does the combined bill landing on the same household.

Robin Hood Tech isn’t arguing that roads should build or maintain themselves. We’re asking harder questions about how long people should keep paying, who benefits from the arrangement, and whether the enforcement system is fair when someone falls behind.

If governments want people to accept these costs, they should be able to show clearly what each charge pays for and when it ends. A worker looking at another toll price rise deserves a better answer than that’s just how the system works.

Add Your Name to the Queensland Toll Reform Petition

Robin Hood Tech has asked the Queensland Parliament to review long-term tolling and the way unpaid tolls are enforced. If you live in Queensland and want your voice heard, read and sign petition 4586-26: Remove Profit-Driven Tolling from Queensland Roads.

Inflation figure checked 28 September 2026. The Gateway example assumes a Class 2 car making 480 crossings at the published 2026 toll, with no additional fees.