Opposition Decries Government's TollCollect Call

Germany's decision to extend the deadline for Toll Collect GmbH, a venture between Deutsche Telekom and DaimlerChrysler, was criticized by opposition political parties, the Financial Times Deutschland said, citing Klaus Lippold, a Christian Democratic Union member. The opposition parties may try to freeze spending if the government gives Toll Collect until the end of January to come up with a starting date for a truck toll system, the paper said. The system, which tracks trucks using satellite technology and charges them an average of 12.4 cents a kilometer to use highways, was scheduled to begin last Aug. 31, with the revenue funding road repairs. Technical faults delayed the start for a second time last month, costing the government as much as 163 million euros ($203 million) a month.