German Construction Industry Pushes for Car Toll to Address Infrastructure Crisis

The industry warns of a potential traffic collapse without increased funding, but political opposition remains firm against the proposal.

The German Construction Industry Association (HDB) has called for the introduction of a car toll to generate an estimated €3 billion annually for road infrastructure improvements.
HDB cites the deteriorating state of highways and bridges, arguing that current funding of less than €8 billion annually falls short of the €10 billion needed for adequate maintenance.
The proposed toll system would follow Austria's vignette model, with suggestions to offset costs for drivers by reducing fuel or vehicle taxes.
Political leaders from the FDP and CDU/CSU have rejected the idea, emphasizing that drivers are already heavily taxed and advocating for better allocation of existing revenues, such as from the recently increased truck toll.
A similar car toll proposal in 2019, led by the CSU, was blocked by the European Court of Justice for being discriminatory against foreign drivers.