Exporters fear new costs from German road toll

Irish exporters face "huge" additional costs and long delays entering Germany because of new motorway tolls to be introduced in the New Year.

The Irish Exporters' Association (IEA) said today the new toll of 12.4 cent per kilometre, which will be levied on all heavy goods vehicles using German motorways, is anti-competitive.

Germany has introduced the tax to encourage greater use of rail and inland waterways for freight delivery, as recommended in a European Union White Paper published in 2001.

IEA Policy Director Mr Chris O'Shea said there was no pre-pay facility for Irish truck drivers meaning they will be severely delayed.

He said Germany had agents in France, Austria and Denmark to install satellite tracking devices allowing haulage firms in those countries to pay monthly over the Internet. "We think German authorities should have put in place an agent in Ireland," he added.

Mr O'Shea estimated the new toll would increase costs by 20 per cent for truckers; from the Dutch border to Munich it would cost an extra €300 to €400, he added.

The toll has been previously cleared by the European Union after an earlier challenge said it was anti-competitive in a single market.