How a Sydney driver is getting away with not paying road tolls
A driver who has got away with not paying a road toll for six years is urging other drivers to do the same.
Bob Jarvis doesn’t have an E-Tag but that doesn’t stop him from driving on paid motorways.
“Everybody could get away with it if everybody wanted to,” he told 7 News.
The retiree claims cashless toll roads are illegal and a breach of the constitution because they’re creating a new form of currency and therefore not valid.
“You can only collect a debt in gold and silver, there's no basket to throw money into anymore,” he said.
“That's when I stopped paying tolls, when the baskets went away.”
The Roads Minister says any motorist using toll roads in NSW is legally required to pay for the service.
While the toll road provider has stopped chasing Mr Jarvis for the debt after multiple warnings, he said he welcomes any future challenge.
“I want them to take me to court but they won't because they know damn well they'll lose the case,” he said.
“I've already paid my road toll in petrol excise, and they're double dipping by charging me a toll.”
Lawyer Adam Ly said Mr Jarvis “has a point” but warned other drivers the man’s solution may not be so clear-cut.
“It's arguable whether a toll is considered a tax as opposed to a fee or a charge,” he told 7 News.
