Toll Discrimination

From DW:
"EU commission 'planning to sue Germany over road toll': report"

A German newspaper has reported that the European Commission will take legal action against Germany over its planned road toll. The report says the toll is considered to discriminate against foreigners In the report in its Saturday edition,, the "Welt" newspaper quoted sources from the Commission as saying that it would "initiate infringement proceedings against Germany because of the road toll, as it discriminates against foreign drivers and thus against EU law." The sources said the proceedings at the European Court of Justice could begin before the summer break at the start of August, according to the report. Germany's road toll, which was approved by the upper house of parliament, or Bundesrat, early this month, is scheduled to go into force next year. The toll, known in German as the "Maut," would apply to German drivers on both highways ("Autobahnen") and major roads, and to foreign motorists only on the Autobahn. However, German drivers would effectively pay nothing, as their regular motor vehicle tax would be reduced to compensate the toll. This aspect has drawn criticism from Brussels, which says that the toll could contravene laws regarding the equal treatment of citizens of all EU countries. German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt from the Christian Social Union party, the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, has been the main driving force behind the planned toll, which he claims could raise as much as 500 million euros ($545.4 million) in added annual revenue for the government.

This figure has, however, been questioned by many experts.

 

^ It is discrimination to make foreigners pay something that a native doesn't have to pay. Russia has used double-pricing for 2 decades (where a Russian could pay $0.10 for something a foreigner would have to pay $10.00 - I've experienced it first-hand.) It is wrong in Russia and this toll is wrong in Germany. The only example I can see of not making a person pay the toll is for a resident in the area that needs to travel that road everyday, but then only the people registered in that area would get the discount and other Germans would still have to pay along with foreigners. I have lived in Germany a couple of times and have since visited often and have seen first-hand how Germans tend to dislike auslanders (foreigners) even to the point of attacking them. This seems like another way for the Germans to show their hatred of non-Germans without violence. It is still wrong. ^

http://www.dw.de/eu-commission-planning-to-sue-germany-over-road-toll-report/a-18487157