Motorway tax: it will probably be up to users to pay

After the announcement of a new tax on motorway companies for 2024, the Minister for Transport, Clément Beaune, reassured users by saying that this tax would not fall on users. In view of the response from motorway companies, nothing is less certain!

The soap opera on a possible new taxes on motorway companies continue.

The announcement of an upcoming tax

As a reminder, the government had announcement that in the next budget for the year 2024 would be a new tax on motorway companies. Officially, the profits from this tax will be used to finance the ecological transition as well as the railway plan of 100 billion euros of the government for 2040.

The aim is also to restore some injustice towards the population that has suffered full force the latest toll increases while record profits were carried out by the various motorway concession companies (3.9 billion in 2021).

Minister’s reassuring words

After the announcement of this new taxwe then wondered whether this new tax would ultimately fall back on users. We weren’t the only ones wondering. In the end, this concern fell back into the ears the Minister Delegate in charge of Transport, Clement Beaune.

He wanted to be reassuring by asserting on France Info that this tax would not have no impact for end customers.

The counter-attack of the motorway companies

As expected, motorway concession companies don’t see it that way.

Indeed, in an interview given to our colleagues from Figaro, Philippe Nourry, the patron of APPR-Area threatened to sue the government if the latter established a surcharge. He added that the state can’t raise taxes and the specific taxes to their sector sans compensation.

And it is precisely this last point that interests us. Indeed, what does Philippe Nourry mean by “sans compensation”. We have an element of response with the declaration of the president of Vinci Autoroutes Pierre Coppey in the columns of Parisian.

“The State cannot take over through taxation and the compensation for investments that it has itself included in the texts”.

In view of these various declarations, the motorway concession companies are not going to let go. NOW two outcomes are possible et possible. Either these companies require the state to reimburse in the long term, this new taxation, i.e., the latter will carry out a increase in toll rates. Unfortunately, it is this last option that seems to us most likely.

Speaking of compensation, motorway companies would try a bluff to put the pression to the government or will there really be a further increase in toll prices for users? Only the future will tell us. We will have the answer next February 1 during annual indexation toll rates.