Ding-dong on tolls
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THE CONTROVERSIAL question of road tolls has again been raised in a question to European Community Transport Ministers.
Belgian-MP Willy Vernimmen called for the abolition of all tolls within the EEC — and pressure on non-EEC countries to remove taxes on Common Market vehicles using their roads.
The question came up again through Swiss Government plans to introduce vehicle taxes on foreign traffic from January 1985.
Says Mr Vernimmen: "All EEC member states — ie France and Italy — should abolish road tolls. This is essential to achieving a genuine internal market.
"At the same time, the EEC cannot stand by and watch third countries imposing special taxes on EEC vehicles, and those of other counties, without taking any action when vehicles from the countries concerned can use most EEC roads free of charge, "I believe that the EEC must bring greater pressure to bear on these two countries to persuade them to abolish such taxes — if not, the EEC will have to introduce similar measures for vehicles from Austria and Switzerland."
A spokesman for the EEC Council — now under Irish presidency — shared Mr Vernimmen's concern at the "currently observed tendency, particularly in certain third countries, to apply road taxes not only to vehicles registered in their own countries, but also to foreign-registered vehicles.