Road Free for German Truck Toll Plan

The European Commission on Tuesday gave the green light to Germany’s controversial highway truck toll system, expected to raise €2.1 billion ($2.3 billion) a year for the cash-strapped government. European Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio said at a joint press conference in Brussels with German Transport Minister Manfred Stolpe, "The toll system shall start on November 2." The agreement brings to an end weeks of wrangling amid EU fears the German government’s plans to provide €600 million in tax rebates to the country’s truckers who refuel in Germany, might amount to illegal state aid. The dispute threatened to delay the November start of the electronic toll system, developed by DaimlerChrysler AG and Deutsche Telekom AG and expected to raise a further €700 million a year for the toll operator.