Costs of hard winter feared
Published: 17 Jan, 2011 CET.
Updated: Mon 17 Jan 2011 08:52 CET
The hard winter suffered so far this season could be particularly expensive for Germany, according to parts of a confidential report by Transportation Minister Peter Ramsauer released on Monday.
Expenses and damages are currently at “a level that no one can estimate,” daily Bild quoted from the report.
Repeated snowstorms that led to transportation chaos across the country will have serious financial ramifications, the report said.
“A transportation system that also functions smoothly even in extreme weather conditions doesn’t come free,” it added.
But because this was clearly not the case, Germany would need to conduct “societal debate and compromise over how much it’s worth to us all,” Bild quoted.
Meanwhile transportation policy spokesman for the pro-business Free Democrats Patrick Döring warned that Germans may be burdened with a “pothole tax” or “winter fee” to help pay for damages caused this winter.
DAPD/ka
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Expenses and damages are currently at “a level that no one can estimate,” daily Bild quoted from the report.
Repeated snowstorms that led to transportation chaos across the country will have serious financial ramifications, the report said.
“A transportation system that also functions smoothly even in extreme weather conditions doesn’t come free,” it added.
But because this was clearly not the case, Germany would need to conduct “societal debate and compromise over how much it’s worth to us all,” Bild quoted.
Meanwhile transportation policy spokesman for the pro-business Free Democrats Patrick Döring warned that Germans may be burdened with a “pothole tax” or “winter fee” to help pay for damages caused this winter.
DAPD/ka
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