2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
Federal Transport Minister Dobrindt's plans for a car toll are rejected by the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. Negative consequences for border traffic are expected.
The planned car toll continues to cause controversy in the Union. The CDU regional associations of North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg do not want to support the concept of Federal Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) because of the effects on the border regions.
The state chairman of Baden-Württemberg, Thomas Strobl, told “Bild am Sonntag”: “A toll that impedes or even prevents small border traffic would be a disadvantage for these regions - especially for the family and craft businesses there, for the Retail, for gastronomy, for our strong medium-sized businesses. " What harms southern Baden and medium-sized businesses is a shame for Baden-Württemberg, "and we cannot support that either."
No total toll
NRW state chief and CDU federal vice Armin Laschet told the newspaper: “We stand by the coalition agreement. But we don't want this total toll on all roads. " The living and economic spaces in the border regions should not be destroyed by “bureaucracy, highway robbery and new borders”. Dobrindt wants to introduce mandatory vignettes on all German roads.
The bottom line is that the additional income should only come from the foreign drivers. Domestic car owners should be fully relieved of the toll through the vehicle tax. CDU Vice Laschet had already raised objections to the toll planned in the current form.
The psychological component of an entrance fee to Germany should not be underestimated, he said on Friday after a meeting with company and chamber representatives. "In future, many of our Dutch neighbors would rather look for alternatives in their own country before going to a restaurant or shopping across the border to Germany."
The regional group leader of the CSU in the Bundestag, Gerda Hasselfeldt, disagreed. She called such fears exaggerated. The “Rheinische Post” (Saturday) she said: “We Bavaria have a similar situation in our border areas with Austria, where there is a vignette, while German roads are currently freely accessible. I have never heard from anyone that they do not go there because of the mandatory vignette in Austria. " (dpa)
