BETTER PARTSThe toll for cars is maybe
Hair, 4 November 2016
Long it looked, as Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) stood with his project of a toll for cars in Germany, losing battle. But it is surprising now that you have agreed with the EU Commission on a compromise. As the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in an online report by yesterday's Thursday indicates a spokeswoman has confirmed the FAZ to the talks are on the right track. A similar confirmation received also the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Dobrindt is confident the reports to knock down all the details in November.
Agreement between Dobrindt and Juncker
The Minister of transport had always insists, that German motorists financially not are likely to be impacted by the toll that the CSU had so enshrined in the Coalition Treaty. Therefore, he wanted to reduce the car tax at the same rate. However, the EU authorities had insisted that foreign drivers are likely to are not discriminated against, what the case is, if German motorists through a tax cut would de facto did not feel the toll. An agreement on a common position seemed hardly possible. Now Dobrindt and President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed obviously still bypassing the traffic Commissioner Violeta Bulc actually responsible.
Details unclear
The details of the compromise are still unclear. Germans to spend according to the FAZ report expected to 130 euro for the year sticker, what should be offset against the tax. How this should look up drivers for example a VW, which costs only 20 euro with Euro-6 rating per year, remains a mystery. For foreigners, there will be various toll stickers, including very cheap day stickers. For ten days, five to 15 euros would be invoked, "Handelsblatt" in his report speaks of only 2.50 euros for the ten day badge.
Succeeded in squaring the circle?
The Chairman of the Automobile Club ACE, Stefan secretly, was surprised about the agreement reached today, Friday and spoke of a squaring of the circle: "we can not imagine that. Because either the toll goes with EU law, then should foreign motorists are not disadvantaged, or it fits to the coalition agreement, but there can't be any more burdens for German car drivers. The EU Commission's proposal to lower the motor vehicle tax for green cars stronger, contrary to, for German car owners of older cars would have to pay on it then."
Implementation probably still not at 1 January
Although there will now be an agreement with the European Commission, so that the dispute could be has not been completed. Because even though the EU Commission to drop its action before the EU Court of Justice, other neighbouring countries against a German toll scheme could complain. When the toll is reality, is still in the stars. An implementation already at the beginning of the year 2017 appears already from technical reasons hardly feasible finally must not only the modified toll law be still passed, but also the control system be converted that it captures car next to the truck. (sl)