Vehicles used to transport goods will benefit from more discounts on more tolls, and may reach 80% of the value of the table, the Government decided. But there are limits.

 

The new discounts on tolls, decided at the Council of Ministers last Friday and detailed today, apply only to the Interior routes. Freight vehicles in Classes 2, 3 and 4 will benefit from a further 15% discount on tolls during the day and a 20% discount at night and at weekends. In the case of companies based in low density municipalities, there is a 25% discount on all time periods and for all classes of goods vehicles.

 

These discounts are in addition to those already implemented by the Government in August 2016 (15% for all vehicles and 15-30% for vehicles in classes 2, 3 and 4 in daytime and night time and weekend). After all, in the limit, the discount on tolls can reach 80%, according to the Ministry of Planning and Infrastructures. The ministry gives the example of a class 4 vehicle of a company based in the interior that in 2015 would pay 34.55 euros to cover the 176 km of the A25-IP5, and with the new scheme will pay only 13.23 euros (in the period night) or even only 7.35 euros (at night).

 

 

There is also a geographical scope of discounts. The A13 (Pinhal Interior) and the A28 (North Coast) join the A4 (Transmontana and Tunnel do Marão), A22 (Algarve), A23 (IP and Beira Interior), A24 (Interior North) and A25 (Beiras Litoral and High). The discounts now announced are not, however, unlimited. In the statement issued, the Ministry of Pedro Marques recalls that the measure must be "included in the de minimis rule, under which only support that does not exceed 200 thousand euros over a period of 3 years (100 thousand euros for companies operating in the road transport sector) ".

 

Source, Transportes & Negócios.