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According to the press release from the carriers, from 2023. the innovations that will come into force will have serious economic consequences for companies in the transport sector, which are going through increasingly difficult times. In addition, it can affect the increase in prices of some products and services.
The Lithuanian Highway Administration is obliged to develop a convenient system for the collection of tolls, up to LTL 90 million. euros.
Zenon Buivydas, general secretary of the Linava association, says that changes are needed, but they must be balanced with a comprehensive assessment of the business environment, and carriers do not support such a drastic increase in tolls without the use of road infrastructure.
“The aim of the previous government was to collect more taxes, as the European Union’s support for road maintenance will be significantly reduced. The arguments that the funds raised through the excise tax on fuel should be used for road maintenance were not Convincing. An increase in road tolls will undoubtedly have a major impact on rising prices. In Lithuania, logistics costs account for about 10 percent of the price of goods, which will fall on the shoulders of the consumers, ”says Z. Buivydas.
Passenger carriers have calculated that the toll for some carriers would increase up to 20 times. For example, if the average annual bus fare is now € 753, it would increase to € 15060. This amount must be paid for one passenger vehicle per year.
Viktoras Monkevič, director of the Visla transport company, is convinced that such an increase in road tolls for small businesses will be a step towards ruin.
“Small and medium-sized businesses, which have only a few dozen employees, will suffer the most, including in the transportation sector, during the pandemic. For example, if a business has 10 vehicles, it currently pays a road tax of € 7,530 per year and starting in 2023. I should already pay 150,600 euros per year ”, says V. Monkevič.
According to Andrius Burba, Secretary of Innovation and Transport Policy of the “Linava” Association, these innovations would also have a severe impact on the transport of goods: the tax would increase even more, since it would depend directly on the number of kilometers traveled.
“Even so, the most painful consequences would be for national carriers, who now pay 11 euros a day, instead of the kilometers traveled. The more trips, the more you have to pay. Without a doubt, this would further aggravate the situation for carriers , which have gone through difficult times in recent years. If the amendments adopted last year and the reduction of the road tax are not reviewed, it cannot be ruled out that Lithuania will lose even more transport companies, “says A. Burba.
According to him, even more companies may emerge from Lithuania, and those that do not have the financial resources to relocate their activities abroad may find themselves on the brink of bankruptcy. This could seriously damage the state budget, which will generate even less revenue.
Artūras Telmentas, member of the association’s presidium and director of Telmento transportas, assures that the initial objectives were good, because the objective is to introduce a similar procedure in Lithuania as in some European countries, but not all aspects have been evaluated.
“Germany, for example, has a similar mileage-based toll system, but here drivers have free access to many services. For example, toilets are free, showers are everywhere, they are generally paid, but where There is paid parking, these services are free. In addition, some sites offer free meals for a portion of the paid fee. In France, all parking is free, as are toilets, showers, and drinking water at stations. This is not yet the case in Lithuania. We should also invest in infrastructure to make it more convenient for drivers, “says A. Telmentas.
At present, in Lithuania, the toll is paid only for the main roads, which number 1.7 thousand. kilometres. From 2023, if nothing changes, it will be necessary to pay not only for the roads, but also for driving on national and regional roads, which will already amount to 21 thousand. kilometres.
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