Motorways and Motorway Finance in Germany and Austria

This paper describes how, in Germany as well as in Austria, the motorways were constructed through state activity since the beginning. While in Austria the model of public provision, management and finance has changed since 1982, when the State-owned Autobahnen und SchnellstraBen-Finanzierungs-Aktiengesellschaft (ASFINAG) under private law was founded, in Germany there is still the traditional public regime for motorways. The road users pay taxes, but these are in effect not used for road infrastructure but instead they go into the general budget. Presently, only one-third of the total tax payments of motorists consisting of fuel and vehicle taxes as well as the VAT on the fuel tax are spent on road infrastructure. This has led to serious complaints from the industry and other stakeholders. Against a background of static or even decreasing tax income and the rising cost of infrastructure provision, a change of the financing model is being discussed in Germany. This discussion was greatly stimulated by a high-government commission on infrastructure finance, which submitted its suggestions to the government in 2000. This chapter discusses the development towards the change of the financial model and its consequences for the public budget. The principles of charging and the institutional settings which are associated with the change of the model will also be focused on. As the present, concepts of motorways charging are partial approaches, which are associated with a number of failures and shortcomings, the chapter will conclude with future prospects towards a more complete economic concept of network-wide charging of road traffic.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780762312320
• Corporate Authors:

  Elsevier

  The Boulevard, Langford Lane
  Kidlington, Oxford  United Kingdom  OX5 1GB
• Authors:
  • Rothengatter, Werner
• Conference:
  • Highways: Costs and Regulation in Europe
  • Location: Bergamo , Italy
  • Date: 2004-11-26 to 2004-11-27
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 75-91
• Monograph Title: Procurement and Financing of Motorways in Europe

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Finance; Fuel taxes; Highway user taxation; Infrastructure; Motor vehicle licensing; Road pricing; Stakeholders; Taxation; Taxes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Transportation taxes; User taxes
• Geographic Terms: Austria; Germany
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01041847
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780762312320
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 31 2007 11:35AM