If you’re planning to take an exhilarating drive down the Autobahn, unrestricted by a mandated speed limit, you better do so soon — because it won’t be free forever.
Starting in 2016, Germany plans to charge foreign motorists for the use of its roads including the famous Autobahn highway. The money will be used to pay for infrastructure as per a plan announced by Germany’s transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt yesterday.
Drivers of cars and motorcycles not registered in Germany will encounter a fee relative to the amount of time they will spend on the highway. A 10-day badge will cost about 10 euros ($14.50), a two-month badge will set you back 20 euros ($29.00) and an annual pass will cost upwards of 100 euros ($145.00). The exact cost of the one-year badge is evaluated based on the car’s engine size, age and emissions.
Foreign drivers make 170 million trips to or through Germany each year. The toll charge is predicted to bring in 2.5 billion euros to assist in Germany’s public infrastructure development over the next four years. German motorists will also have to pay the fee, but they will be compensated for this through a tax break on their motor vehicle taxes.
The plan should please southern German drivers who have expressed their annoyance over having to pay highway tolls in neighbouring Austria and Switzerland, while foreign motorists get to do so for free in Germany. On the flip side, Germany’s neighbours, including Austria and the Netherlands, have already expressed their displeasure over this law, which is expected to be finalized by the end of this year.
The proposal, that was instrumental in last year’s election win for Dobrindt and the Christian Social Union (CSU), will conform to EU law.
