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Thursday, 28.03.2024, 22:07
Estonia to introduce road tax for heavy vehicles from 2018
So far, Estonia has levied an annual tax on trucks.
Simson said that to avoid additional taxing of trucks,
Estonia has inquired with the Commission about the possibility to stop levying
the heavy vehicle tax when the road user tax is introduced. It has been
explained to it, however, that the annual vehicle tax on heavy goods motor
vehicles is mandatory for all member states of the European Union regardless of
the application of road user levies and it is not possible to relinquish it in
accordance with the directive, the minister said in the letter.
Simson said it appears from a survey conducted by the
Government Office in 2015 that the most appropriate solution for Estonia would
be to introduce a time-based road user charge for heavy goods motor vehicles.
She said that speaking in favor of a time-based charge are its low investment
and maintenance costs and the fact that a similar road user charge is already
being levied in Latvia and Lithuania, which make up the Via Baltica road
transport corridor with Estonia.
Alongside the possibility to pay the levy online, Estonia
will make available to carriers a network of sales points where the levy can be
paid 24/7 using conventional payment methods.
Similarly to Denmark, Sweden and other member states of the
EU, Estonia is planning to levy the tax on vehicles the maximum mass of
which is 12 tons or more.
The rates of the tax will be the same for all vehicles
regardless of their country of registration, and will depend on the emissions
class of the engine and the number of axles. The daily rate will be from
10-12 euros and the annual rate from 700-1,300 euros.
The revenue generated by the road user charge will be used
for the maintenance of transport infrastructure, Simson said.
Estonia and Finland are the only EU member states not to
have imposed a road user fee for heavy goods motor vehicles.