Transport Minister Opposes Highway Privatization

Transport Minister Manfred Stolpe has announced that privatizing Germany's highways by charging a toll for passenger cars will not happen before the surcharge tax on trucks has taken effect. The ongoing dispute between the German government and Toll Collect, the system which monitors trucks using satellite technology and charges them an average of 12.4 cents a kilometer to use highways, is now set to be resolved in court. The transport minister also spoke out against the Technical Inspection Authority (TÜV) introducing higher fees and charges for driving licences. Stolpe says that TÜV's application to increase fees for emissions tests by 25 percent as well as for other insepction services will be considered, but added that he felt now was not the right time to raise costs.