Austria charges carriers with higher tolls for trucks from 2014
Further increases in toll charges weights on the mood of the transport industry; Affected want to turn to the European Union
The new legislative period starts with additional financial burden for the Austria’s transport industry. At the beginning of 2014, the distance-related toll increases in the federal territory, depending on fare class by up to 9 per cent. The new basic kilometers tariffs for the new year are 16.2 cents for Euro VI trucks, 16.7 cents for EEV trucks, 18.5 cents for IV and V trucks and 20.8 cents for EURO 0 to III trucks (excluding VAT).
„Federal Minister Doris Bures has signed the toll charge regulation for 2013, which provides valorisation and at the same time readjustment of the ecological scaling of toll charges, against the voices and arguments of the industry. This additional cost harms the competitiveness of the transport sector and site security, and is a really poor start to the new term from the perspective of the transport industry,“ Alexander Klacska, chairman of the federal division transport and traffic in the Austrian chamber of commerce, explains in a first statement.
Alexander Klacska calls this significant increase by adjusting the greening even for the most environmentally friendly technologies as neither justified nor legal. He refers to the EU-way costs directive, according to which greening must be made volume-neutral, so that no additional revenue is generated. In this matter the industry will turn to the European Commission and have checked EU law conformity of the Austrian rules.
In response to the criticism of the chamber of commerce about tariff adjustments of greening ASFINAG stressed in a press release that just by these adjustments with effect from January 1, 2014, the revenue neutrality required by the way costs directive can be ensured. If the adjustment does not take place, there would be a reduction in price of more than EUR 130 million for the years 2014 and 2015.
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Quelle: LogEastics
Portal: www.logistik-express.com