For Whom the EU Tolls: Germany Keen on Gouging Any and All Drivers

What if you had to pay a toll to drive anywhere? It’s entirely possible that such a proposal would spark a backlash in the road-hungry United States, but the idea hasn’t won over everyone in eco-conscious Europe, either.

In addition to existing steep fuel taxes, Germany wants to see a blanket road toll go into effect across the continent.

According to a draft document seen by Reuters, the country’s transport minister, Andreas Scheuer, aims to bring such a toll into effect later this year.

Europe is already awash in tolls, though most apply mainly to large commercial vehicles. A proposal to toll Germany’s famed autobahns met with defeat last year, after the European Court of Justice ruled that such a move would unfairly penalize drivers from other countries.

From Reuters:

Within eight years, almost all vehicles on motorways, including lorries, vans and cars, would have to pay tolls, according to the draft for the EU toll directive.

“As regards member states that have already established a charging system, tolls or user charges shall be levied upon all vehicles except coaches and buses,” stated the document which Scheuer wants German ministries to approve on Wednesday.

That would make it Germany’s official proposal for its presidency of the bloc which started on July 1 and runs until the end of the year.

Pushback has apparently already begun, with sources telling Reuters that certain German ministries want to see the proposal shelved. However, most agree that the imposition of distance-based tolling is the best way to provide expensive infrastructure with sustainable funding.

Your author, who likes maps and takes great pains to avoid forking over a cent on the Ohio Turnpike and New York State Thruway (to say nothing of Ontario’s Highway 407 ETR), applauds those unnamed ministries, though even he can see the appeal in going all-toll, all the time.

In the end, political wrangling might win the day, as one of the parties keeping Chancellor Angela Merkel in power is no fan of road tolls.

[Image: Daimler]