The designation of the toll operations of Sanral as an essential service during the coronavirus lockdown is being questioned by both the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse and the Automobile Association.
Roads agency Sanral has cancelled the tender it issued in August last year for the continued management of e-tolls and claims it has not been informed of any decision by the government on the future of the system.
Government still has to make a decision on the future of e-tolls. finance minister Tito Mboweni failed to mention e-tolls in his budget speech on Wednesday.
It’s high noon for the future of e-tolls. A final decision on the controversial Gauteng tolling scheme is expected to be made in Wednesday’s budget speech.
Despite an imminent government decision on the future of e-tolls, the department of transport has published revised tariffs for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project that will be effective from 1 March.
Finance minister Tito Mboweni has reiterated that government has decided to retain the user-pay principle and e-tolls on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.
If you are paying e-tolls, you one of the few. Low payment rates by motorists resulted in revenue received by roads agency Sanral from e-tolls in Gauteng slumping 63% in the year to March.
More than 52% of motorists believe there is nothing government can do to convince them to start paying their e-tolls on Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project roads, according to the AA.
The only fair and sensible approach is to immediately suspend e-tolling in Gauteng and reimburse consumers who have paid e-tolls since 2013, says the Automobile Association.
Published last week as an audio podcast, TechCentral is pleased to now bring you the full, fiery debate on e-tolls between Outa CEO Wayne Duvenage and ETC CEO Coenie Vermaak in high-definition video.
