Toll reduction model will include interior and A22 and A28 motorways
The toll discount model, in addition to the interior territories, will be applied on the A22 motorways – Via do Infante, in the Algarve, and the A28, which connects Porto to Caminha, the minister of Territorial Cohesion announced yesterday.
“The idea is to work on a toll discount model for the interior and also for Via do Infante [A22] and A28”, said Ana Abrunhosa, in the final intervention of the parliamentary hearing on the State Budget proposal for 2020 (OE2020), which took place over five hours, in the Assembly of the Republic.
According to the person in charge of the Territorial Cohesion portfolio, the work for the implementation of discounts on motorway and expressway tolls “is advanced”, with the presentation of an ordinance “soon”.
“There is no question of abolishing tolls, it is a matter of reducing tolls”, reinforced the minister, explaining that the proposal to reduce tolls is under study, through a working group made up of members of the ministries of Territorial Cohesion, Infrastructure and Housing and Finance, which is working on “priorities” and “various scenarios for the gradual reduction of tolls”.
Recalling that this was a promise from the Government, Ana Abrunhosa assured that the working group responsible for the measure is giving “the highest priority to this matter” and working on a toll discount model “based on quantity discounts and discounts on rest days ”, correcting the initial information that it only covered weekends.
“We would very much like the discount to have some impact on rest days, which would benefit frequent users, as well as those who visit the territory,” said the minister, arguing that “the impacts of a small reduction are always significant”.
Thus, the Government intends to “give a political signal to these territories and make it feel in people’s pockets”.
“I cannot commit myself to dates, I cannot commit myself to percentages [of discount], because that will have to be announced jointly by the working group”, said the Minister of Territorial Cohesion.