Government-announced road toll increase threatens wave of bankruptcies

Next year, costs will significantly increase for carriers who transport goods on main roads. According to a government decree published on 1 December, trucks will pay a 4.3% inflation-adjusted fee for motorways, but

for those using main roads, the fee will increase by 50%.

Transport and Construction Minister János Lázár emphasised that the government's motivation was not additional revenue, but to prevent newly built roads from being damaged by heavy goods vehicles. He added that 3 million people suffer daily from transit freight traffic on lower-category roads.

However, the Secretary General of the Road Carriers Association told RTL News that

some businesses may become insolvent already this year

due to the drastic road toll increase taking effect next year. According to a recently published government decree, road usage fees will increase by 50%.

The exact financial impact of the measure cannot yet be estimated, as the official road toll calculator has been unavailable on the National Toll Payment Services website for weeks. Due to this service outage, transport companies cannot calculate how much additional cost the fee increase will represent for them.

The Ministry of Construction and Transport was contacted regarding the road toll calculator malfunction, but the ministry has not yet responded to the inquiry.

 Cover photo (for illustration purposes only): Portfolio