Traffic: failed car toll costs taxpayers a further millions

The failed car toll in Germany becomes even more expensive for taxpayers. The federal government also pays compensation of around 27 million euros to the planned operators, as the Federal Ministry of Transport by the German Press Agency announced on request. This sum is planned as a new amount in the federal budget in 2025. The federal government thus pays a total of around 270 million euros in damages to the planned operators of the car toll.

The sum of 27 million euros is included in the presentation of the Federal Ministry of Finance for the so-called adjustment meeting of the Bundestag budget committee this Thursday. In 2023, the federal government had to pay 243 million euros in damages for the operators of the car toll actually provided to collect the car toll.

Further arbitration

The newly added 27 million euros result from another arbitration procedure, namely the terminated contract for “automatic control of the infrastructure tax”, as the failed car toll was called. According to the Ministry of Transport, this procedure has now been ended by paying around 27 million compensation after issuing an arbitration.

Counter -financing in the federal budget is to be increased by an increase in the so -called global minor edition – exactly how this should happen is unclear. According to the ministry, the specific counter -financing is determined at the end of the year as part of the accounting.

The Austrian company Kapsch Trafficcom AG announced at the end of June that a subsidiary would receive a payment of around 27 million euros due to a comparison with the Federal Republic of Germany to terminate an arbitration proceedings. Kapsch belonged to the intended operator consortium of the car toll.

High damage to taxpayers

The car toll – a prestige project of the CSU in the then federal government – was stopped by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in June 2019 because it would have discriminated against foreigners from the judge’s perspective. According to the plans in the vehicle tax, domestic tax would have been relieved in such a way that they had not paid more overall than before.

The proposed operators initially claimed 560 million euros in damages after the federal government had terminated the contracts shortly after the judgment. The then Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer (CSU) rejected claims by the companies. This was followed by an arbitration.

In July 2023, the Ministry of Transport announced under Scheuer’s successor Volker Wissing (then FDP) to pay 243 million euros in damages to the Auticket company – the joint venture of the toll specialist Kapsch and the ticket provider Eventim should actually be the operator of the car toll.

“Scheuer still costs the taxpayer new millions,” said the Greens housekeeper Paula Piechotta of the dpa. Former Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and Scheuer, with their idea of ​​a car to a car toll, caused the penalty pay exclusively for foreigners: “Money, which would be significantly better for the faster renovation of motorway bridges, for example.”

Scheuer threatens a process in connection with the failed car toll. The Berlin public prosecutor complained about the Bundestag’s toll investigation committee for wrongful false statements. The public prosecutor also announced charges against former State Secretary Gerhard Schulz. The Berlin Regional Court must now decide whether it allows the indictment.