Reporting from the Netherlands

[NoBody]

That sounds fair enough. Driving around uninsured is considered a crime here too and if one manages to cause an accident whilst driving uninsured, rest assured that they're in real big trouble at that point (and they should be).

Apart from that, insurance isn't included with the road taxes you pay here. Insurance is, just like in Australia, bound to the car, but car owners have to arrange -and pay- for it themselves. Lots of insurance companies to choose from, each with their own offerings ;-) For a somewhat regular car and driver, who hasn't been causing much damage (yet), that adds about EUR ~40-50, a month, to your total cost of ownership. Also the longer you own a car without needing the insurance, the lesser you have to pay for it.

Yeah but the Road Tax will be offset by cheaper fuel as a similar thing happens in New Zealand.

One would indeed expect that, but in most of Europe, NL included, diesel costs about the same (currently EUR 1,40 a litre), yet in other European countries they don't pay as much road taxes as we do. Not by far, even

For Petrol you pay about EUR 1,80 a litre, which is more expensive than in most of Europe (most of the world, even...).

Note that in Australia there is a MOUNTAIN of tax on Fuel both Diesel, Petrol ad LPG. State, Federal and also the real Gem GST on every litre. Dump allot of that and I'd happily pay a Road tax in Lieu. Maybe they can figure out a way of charging push Bike riders a Road tax too.

The GST alone would equate to More than the Road Tax noted above i reckon

I'd be more than happy to trade taxes ;-)