Ministry of Transport and Communications considering tolls for road users

Either regional congestion charges or kilometre levies could be introduced

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In order to find ways to reduce environmental pollution and congestion caused by road traffic, the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications is studying the impact and feasibility of various alternatives for specific road-use charges and taxes to be collected from motorists.
      A report is due to be completed in March, in order that it could be included in the next government programme.
     
Four different alternatives are being discussed. Two of them would apply to haulage vehicles and goods transport, while the other two would pertain to passenger cars and daily commuting.
      Specific kilometre charges could be imposed on vehicles with a higher intensity of road use.
     
Regional charges have also been discussed, for example the imposition of tolls on heavy vehicles using Highway E18 between the entry-port in Hanko and the Vaalimaa border crossing.
      Regional congestion tolls could also be collected from cars driving in growth centres, for example in the Greater Helsinki area, Turku, and Tampere. The charges would be staggered according to the time of day, with the highest charges being imposed on motorists driving during rush hours.
      The proposed nationwide congestion charges would be based on Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
      Any such radical changes would of necessity have an impact on vehicle taxation, though not automatically leading to higher tax burdens - for example a specific kilometre-based levy for heavy goods vehicles would replace fuel taxes and would place the onus for payment on those using the roads most, but should not increase the level of taxation on commercial vehicles. Regional charges, on the other hand, would operate rather in the same way as the congestion charge levied in London, and would increase the cost of driving, particularly at certain times of day.
      The report being drafted is a response to Parliament's calls last year for the government to introduce some means of tolls for goods vehicles on specific road sections.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish motorists billed for Norwegian road tolls (1.8.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat