PARIS, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Clément Beaune, Minister Delegate for Transport, ruled out on Friday a 7% to 8% increase in motorway toll rates next year in France, while negotiations are underway between the government and motorway concessionaires.
These tariffs are reviewed at the beginning of each year, in February, according to an automatic formula linked to the rate of inflation and the motorway companies have mentioned an 8% increase with the ministry, according to the press, whereas this increase was limited to 2% in 2022.
“If we applied things automatically, we would potentially be on very high increases, around 7% or 8%”, explained Clément Beaune at the microphone of franceinfo.
“There are negotiations underway, but it won’t be 7% or 8%. It’s unsustainable,” he added, however.
“We can’t neutralize everything, there can’t be zero inflation” and “I don’t want motorway companies to stop investing”, declared Clément Beaune.
“I want there to be a reasonable increase, I cannot tell you the figure today, we are discussing it but we will not be in the orders of magnitude of 7 to 8%, because ‘We cannot impose this on the purchasing power of motorists at the moment,” he said. (Written by Jean-Stéphane Brosse, edited by Nicolas Delame)
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