In the future, the truck toll on federal roads and motorways should take greater account of pollutant emissions and bring in additional billions for investments in rail. This is the aim of the legislative plans from Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), which the Bundestag is expected to pass today.
A CO2 surcharge of 200 euros per ton of carbon dioxide is to be introduced on December 1st. As of July 1, 2024, the toll obligation will also apply to smaller vans weighing 3.5 tons or more. So far it works from 7.5 tons. However, trips from craft businesses should remain excluded.
The opposition criticized the expansion of the toll. The FDP duo of Wissing and Finance Minister Christian Lindner are thus burdening the economy and consumers with 7.6 billion euros, said Union transport expert Thomas Bareiß (CDU) to the German Press Agency. “With the increase now available, the traffic light government is reaching the maximum load volume permitted by the EU.” What makes matters worse is that CO2 differentiation is being introduced to encourage the switch to alternative drive technologies. But there are no electric trucks on the market yet. The draft also stipulates that zero-emission trucks should be exempt from tolls by the end of 2025.
Significant additional income – higher prices for consumers
The toll revenue for the federal government should increase significantly with the future toll rules – according to the draft law, they will jump from almost eight billion euros this year to more than 15 billion euros next year. From 2024 to 2027, a total of 30.5 billion euros in additional revenue is expected. The use should also be reregulated. Half of the income will continue to be earmarked for improving federal highways – but the rest will be used for “measures in the area of mobility and predominantly for measures in the area of federal railways”.
The freight forwarding industry is protesting sharply against a doubling of toll charges and is warning of higher prices for consumers too. The ministry also expects that companies will pass on additional toll costs. Impacts on consumer prices cannot therefore be ruled out, according to the draft. However, since the toll costs only account for a small proportion of the transport costs and an even smaller proportion of the total costs for end products, the impact on consumer price levels is “marginal”.
