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New tax Could Mean Stand Still on the Roads

Lorry drivers across France are threatening action over road tax

featured in News & reviews Author Pam Williamson, Les Arcs Editor Updated

One year ago truckers in France caused gridlock nationwide over the introduction of écotaxe on heavy-goods vehicles. The chaos resulted in the lorry drivers favour with the écotaxe being axed. Now they are once again threatening to bring roads to a standstill from Monday if the proposed péage de transit poids-lourds road tax is not abandoned.

The idea behind the new tax is to divert lorries from urban areas and also to help finance road maintenance across the country. In practice, it would mean that lorries weighing more than 3.5 tonnes would be equipped with a GPS device to monitor their road use. Charges would vary according to their weight and CO2 emissions but could be a cost of up to 18.5 centimes per kilometre. Aside from the costly GPS system, transport unions are estimating that it could cost companies up to an extra 10% a year.

The unions have proposed a system of road tax discs instead, however talks between the government and haulage groups have broken down after they failed to reach an agreement over the proposed system. Truckers in the Fédération Nationale des Transports Routiers (FNTR) will set up 'opération escargot', go-slow road blocks, from Monday in Auvergne, Bourgogne and Poitou-Charentes, which will no doubt affect travel throughout the country but in particular travel down towards the Alps, Provence and the South of France.

Segolene Royal, the government Ecology minister said that more than 39% of those taxed would be foreign road users and told France Info: “It is justifiable that commercial lorries pay to use the roads that they damage, which must be repaired. The cost should not have to be carried by national taxpayers.”

She confirmed that trials for the tax in order to gauge potential charges would be followed through until the end of the year. Then the decision on whether the tax will be implemented from January 1 will be taken in December.