CDU climate politician proposes truck toll, use revenues for rail freight

Germany should introduce a truck toll on all German roads and use the revenues to strengthen the country's rail freight infrastructure, said conservative politician Andreas Jung (CDU) in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Jung, who together with CSU colleague Georg Nüßlein is currently drafting the parties' climate concept, also said his party aims to reduce the VAT on train tickets, increase a levy on domestic flights and align the motor vehicle tax with cars' CO₂ emissions.
Rail transport group Allianz pro Schiene welcomed Jung's proposal as an "important contribution to the transport transition and a strong signal ahead of the climate cabinet decisions in September". Until now, revenues from road traffic taxes and levies have only been used for road traffic, the organisation said in a press release. "It is a great step forward if the [conservative CDU/CSU alliance] abolishes this traditional principle. The priority of the road in German transport policy is crumbling," said managing director Dirk Flege.

German chancellor Merkel has called the transport sector "our big problem child" in terms of emissions reduction. Greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector have remained almost unchanged for three decades. Merkel's climate cabinet has promised key climate action decisions – also on transport – for a meeting scheduled on 20 September.