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Maut toll hike gets German hauliers out on the streets
Page 7
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GERMANY HAS HAD its first protest against rising fuel costs and the planned increase in the Maut toll system.
Around 100 people took part in the demonstration on Monday (14 July) near Brandenburg. They also handed a petition to Chancellor Angela Merkel in which they ask for the toll increase to be scrapped.
Within the German government's climate scheme Klimapaket 2 the average Maui cost will increase from 13.5 to 16.5 euro cents per kilometre. One of the protest organisers, haulier Detlef Benecke, told German logistic news service Verkehrs Rundschau that the next protest could be a lot worse if there is no reaction to the petition.
Freight association Bundcsverband Gueterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung (BLG) says the additional revenue raised would finance many things other than the road infrastructure. From the estimated €2bn that would be raised in 2009, it says only €200m would be spent on roads; the rest would subsidise the Budget. It states that, under Chancellor Merkel's rule, everything is becoming more expensive.
German industry body Deutscher Industrieund Handelskammertag (DIHK) has also spoken out against the Maut increase, saying the industry is already suffering enough because of fuel price increases. It is also sceptical whether this move would lead to a permanent increase in transport infrastructure spending.