EU may challenge German road toll on foreign drivers

[cpzilliacus]

Deutsche Welle: Juncker: EU may challenge German road toll on foreign drivers - The European Commission will consider a legal challenge against Germany over the new road toll law, according to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Critics argue that the toll discriminates against foreigners.

The European Commission's President Jean-Claude Juncker said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung that the planned German road toll did not appear to conform with EU rules prohibiting discrimination against foreigners.

"The Commission, the guardian of the EU treaties, now has to explore whether the treaties have been violated - if necessary at the European Court of Justice," Juncker said.

His comments followed a report in the newspaper Die Welt on Saturday that quoted Commission sources as saying the EU planned to sue Germany over the road toll, "as it discriminates against foreign drivers and thus against EU law." According to the report, the proceedings at the European Court of Justice could begin before the start of the summer break in August.

[english si]

This being the Jean-Claude Juncker who, as President of Luxembourg, discriminated against the citizens of EU's post-2000 members by denying them the fundamental EU principle of free movement of people for ten years?

Germany should just come back with the response that foreigners must all pay German Road Tax then (of course, that will just mean Single European Road Tax will be on Juncker's centralisation agenda), in order for them to be treated the same by the German Government as German residents (of whatever nationality).

And given that the German road toll is a trial scheme for the EU to move to distance-based road pricing with cars tracked by their satellite network (as the EU is philosophically Americo-skeptic, and in practise is even more anti-American, they have long wanted a rival to GPS on the assumption that they will probably be hostilities in the future), it seems mean to punish them for that.

If I travel to France and get ill, the NHS (as my health insurer) get billed for my heathcare. If I use the roads that the German people have paid for via taxation, why can't the Germans be reimbursted. Countries to the East/South East of Germany use vignette systems, but residents seem to get discounts of sorts - especially compared to one-off users like tourists.

[cpzilliacus]

[WSJ.COM is a paywall site.  If you cannot access this, PM me with your e-mail address and I will send a link to the full text.]

Wall Street Journal: Germany Postpones Highway Toll for Foreign Cars - Move follows legal action by the European Commission, which says the levy is discriminatory

Germany will hold off on introducing a controversial highway toll for foreign cars next year due to legal action by the European Commission, which argues the levy discriminates against foreigners.

Germany, one of Europe's few countries without a toll system for highways, wants cars speeding up and down its autobahns to start paying for the privilege to the tune of €88 ($99.13) a year on average.

[cpzilliacus]

This being the Jean-Claude Juncker who, as President of Luxembourg, discriminated against the citizens of EU's post-2000 members by denying them the fundamental EU principle of free movement of people for ten years?

Germany should just come back with the response that foreigners must all pay German Road Tax then (of course, that will just mean Single European Road Tax will be on Juncker's centralisation agenda), in order for them to be treated the same by the German Government as German residents (of whatever nationality).

And given that the German road toll is a trial scheme for the EU to move to distance-based road pricing with cars tracked by their satellite network (as the EU is philosophically Americo-skeptic, and in practise is even more anti-American, they have long wanted a rival to GPS on the assumption that they will probably be hostilities in the future), it seems mean to punish them for that.

If I travel to France and get ill, the NHS (as my health insurer) get billed for my heathcare. If I use the roads that the German people have paid for via taxation, why can't the Germans be reimbursted. Countries to the East/South East of Germany use vignette systems, but residents seem to get discounts of sorts - especially compared to one-off users like tourists.

If the Germans really want drivers paying to use their Autobahn network, then they should just concession their operations out to the private sector, and let the concession owners collect tolls, and send some portion of that revenue back to the German government.  I have never read any claims that the privately-concessioned (and tolled) Autoroute system in France is against any EU rules.

[english si]

If the Germans really want drivers paying to use their Autobahn network, then they should just concession their operations out to the private sector

An unnecessary step in your plan

and let the concession owners collect tolls, and send some portion of that revenue back to the German government.

But Germany prides itself on toll-free roads. Citizens/Residents pay for them via road tax, but transit traffic doesn't contribute. This status quo is, arguably, against EU rules with German residents being unfairly discriminated against.

The reason that the new system is unlawful is semantics. If Germany called the taxation of its residents' motor vehicles the same name as their charge on foreign vehicles then there's no problem.

The EU had zero problems when this charging only applied to trucks, BTW. As the EU doesn't believe in rule of law (eg bailing out Ireland - not only explicitly banned in treaty law, but the EUrocrats deliberately sought to force Ireland into having to accept it and then some high profile one say things to the effect of "we don't give a shit"), there's some reason why this extension of the trial of a future EU-wide system of road pricing has irked them. Maybe it's just something simple like high-up EUrocrats like trips to the Black Forest when the EU moves to Strasbourg every month, or something.

[Chris]

One stop at a German gas station pays more taxes than an annual vignette for a car in some cases.

[Brandon]

One stop at a German gas station pays more taxes than an annual vignette for a car in some cases.

So I take it, the goal is to get across Germany without buying gas.  Kind of like Illinois is treated here. 

[hotdogPi]

One stop at a German gas station pays more taxes than an annual vignette for a car in some cases.

So I take it, the goal is to get across Germany without buying gas.  Kind of like Illinois is treated here. 

According to GasBuddy, Illinois gas is extremely expensive in Chicago, but the further out you get, the lower it gets until it roughly matches the national average.

[english si]

One stop at a German gas station pays more taxes than an annual vignette for a car in some cases.

But surely that's an environmental tax, rather than one on using the road? And it's not like you pay gas taxes when you fill up in countries where you have to buy a vignette.

EU member states descriminate against citizens and residents of other EU member states all the time, But the UK asking for welfare reforms to bring them in line with most of the other 27 states (that there's a period of residency before you qualify for some welfare benefits) is somehow beyond the pale. Germany extending its prototype (of the EU's eventual plan) tax on trucks to all motor vehicles is somehow bad.

I can't help but think that the story is really about EUrocrats not liking the Bundsrepublic Deutschland's enthusiasm for the EUrocrat's own project!

[Revive 755]

So I take it, the goal is to get across Germany without buying gas.  Kind of like Illinois is treated here. 

According to GasBuddy, Illinois gas is extremely expensive in Chicago, but the further out you get, the lower it gets until it roughly matches the national average.

Gas is the same price in Ottawa Illinois, near I-80, as it is in eastern Iowa today.  Actually cheaper than Iowa if one ventures into town.