GERMAN ROAD TOLL INCREASE ENTERS INTO FORCE
On 1st December, the Third Toll Amendment Act enters into force in Germany. The Act, stemming from the transposition of the Eurovignette Directive adopted at EU level in 2022 introduces new CO2 emission classes as a new tariff criterion, with a surcharge of €200 per tonne of CO2 as the calculation basis. The toll rate per kilometre will now also depend on how much carbon dioxide (CO2) a vehicle emits, resulting in final toll rates almost doubling. Zero-emission vehicles will remain toll-exempt until 31 December 2025, and a partial toll rate for infrastructure costs will be paid by these trucks after this date.
Several German associations have been vocal against this toll increase, leading to some demonstrations and strikes over the last weeks. The German freight forwarders’ association DSLV noted that the increase of truck tolls comes at a difficult economic time and far too early, considering that the emission-free alternatives are not currently available at a large scale. DSLV welcomes the package approved by the German federal and state governments to speed up the roll-out of new infrastructure projects especially for rail transport but considers that the government takes the second step before the first one. The federal government must therefore ensure that a share of the additional revenues from the toll increase is invested in the sustainable transition of road freight transport.
Source: Toll-Collect.de, DSLV