“Reduction of taxation means increased mobility, especially in the labour market, because workers can easily switch between different parts of the country. It will improve the connectitivity of Denmark. It especially benefits the citizens in Region Zealand and on Funen, respectively, but also the so-called ” Triangle Area”( the area surrounding Vejle, Fredericia and Kolding in Eastern Jutland, red.) , and of course it also benefits business”, STRING President Steen Bach Nielsen states in a comment on the Danish government’s latest initiative.
“Therefore, I do not see a big problem with the government’s plans to reduce the tariffs to cross the Great Belt Bridge. And also, I do not share the concern that the reduction in prices will adversely affect the economy of the Fehmarnbelt”, he emphasizes.
“The financing of the Fehmarn Connection is in place – and I cannot see that cheaper tariffs across the Great Belt moving a significant part of Germany’s traffic from Fehmarn over Funen and Southern Jutland,” said Steen Bach Nielsen.
-“The Ministry of Transport’s calculations show that the effect of the tariff reduction is an extension of the repayment period for both connections by three years. It has no decisive impact on the economy for neither the Fehmarn Connections nor the Great Belt Connections”, says the STRING Chairman.
Facts:
Over the next three years, the government will gradually lower the tariffs for driving across the Great Belt link with 25 percent. The reduction is to be introduced over a three-year period, so the first reduction will take place January 1, 2018 and is expected to be fully implemented January 1, 2021. The Ministry of Transport’s estimate shows that the tariff reduction will extend the payback period for the Great Belt Bridge from 30 to 33 years and for the Fehmarn connection from 33 to 36 years.
