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Coalition agrees final road toll changes

DPA/The Local
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Coalition agrees final road toll changes
Photo: DPA

Germany's ruling coalition agreed final changes to its planned road toll on Monday night, leaving the path clear for it to be voted through by MPs on Friday.

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The Passauer Neue Presse reports that ministers thrashed out an agreement on the price of short-term permit stickers for foreign road users, which has been a key battleground in the negotiations.

Ten-day passes will now be graded from €5 to €15, instead of the flat rate of €10 which was previously proposed. Two-month passes will now be staggered between €16 and €30.

The price each driver pays will be determined by the size of their vehicle and its environmental impact.

The changes have been made to appease the European Commission, which previously argued that the prices were too high in comparison with the yearly toll Germans pay.

The coalition has also agreed that data on drivers saved for the toll should be deleted after one year rather than the previously planned three.

German drivers will also be subject to the toll, but will enjoy an equivalent reduction in road tax which means that in effect the toll is only paid by foreign drivers.

Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt hopes that final disagreements have now been ironed out and that the bill can pass a planned vote in the Bundestag (German Parliament) on Friday.

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