Tolls to increase

Toll tariffs on national roads will be adjusted in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on 7 March 2015. For the second year running, the toll tariffs on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) that came into operation in December 2013 will not be adjusted.

The Minister of Transport approved the tariffs proposed by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (Sanral) for 2015/16 in February 2015, following which they were gazetted.

Adjustments occur annually. The adjustments become effective on 7 March.

Any adjustments to the tariffs are based on the preceding 12 months’ CPI. The average CPI adjustment for Sanral-managed toll tariffs is 6.017 per cent.

There will be adjustments on the N3 toll road between Johannesburg and Durban and on the N4 highway between the Mozambican border and the Botswana border, as well as on the toll road sections of the N1, N2, N17 and R30.

“We use the inflation rate as a guide, as we do not want to increase road usage costs beyond what is reasonable,” explained Nazir Alli, CEO of Sanral.

Opposition party, Congress of the People (COPE) has condemned what it labeled as the double taxation of South African motorists.

“Fuel levies were meant to be ring-fenced for road development. Government, however, made them into another tax to be paid into a general revenue fund,” said COPE spokesperson Dennis Bloem.

He continued, “In order to meet the budget deficit, the Minister of Finance increased the fuel levy by 30.5 cents a litre to R2.55 a litre for 93 octane petrol and to R2.40 for a litre of diesel and on top of this Sanral is now demanding a 6 per cent increase in toll fees.”

Bloem said all of these increases will impact on the cost of living and increase the economic burden of citizens.

“Government remains oversized and bloated and citizens are being squeezed to balance the budget,” continued Bloem.

“If people are expected to tighten their belts, government should lead by doing the same. COPE also believes that government cannot impose fuel levies and at the same time permit the tolling of national roads that were initially built from tax revenue. This is double taxation,” he explained

Bloem said they call on South Africans to join them in protesting against this double whammy. “Citizens will definitely feel the pinch, they must stand up against the government. We will also engage further on this matter in Parliament,” Bloem concluded.