The employer Seopan indicates that the pay-for-use reform should be left “out of the political debate” because Spain is the only country in the EU where citizens finance the maintenance of these roads with their taxes
The implementation of the pay-per-use mechanism on national roads would mean a fiscal surplus of 5,082 million euros for the state treasury, according to calculations by the Association of Construction Companies and Infrastructure Concessionaires (SEOPAN), which in its presentation of the results of this On Monday, they split this amount between the reduction in government spending on road maintenance (1,642 million) and the increase in government revenue associated with that user pricing (3,304 million).
The report shows that the State alone would enter 2,007 million euros per year in VAT collection, in addition to another 950 million by companies. “The reform should be left out of the political debate and aimed at resolving Spain’s inconsistency in the EU,” they explained from the employers’ association. Spain is the only country in the Union where “the taxpayer finances the maintenance and use of high-capacity roads with their taxes,” they say.
Seopan president Julian Núñez stressed that the minimum investment threshold in Spanish roads is €10,661 million for road safety, environmental sustainability and digitalisation and technology. For this reason, he argued that for the time being there are no more proposals than payment for use to invest the more than 10,000 million that is required. “It is the only alternative, as Germany, France, Italy, Portugal or Austria have already done, all of Europe is doing it except Spain,” said Núñez, who believes that the specific tariffs are not something yet to be discussed. you have to see what this implementation will be like and what investments need to be made in the roads.
Negotiations with Seopan are paralyzed, although the president of the association reminds that the Ministry of Transport is not obliged to negotiate anything, but that it is a reform to be implemented before July 2025, as stated in the recovery plan pledged to Brussels. “The government is currently evaluating alternatives to the pay-per-use model, but it will be the next post-election executive that will address this, because with the election, it is not something that will come out now,” Núñez revealed.
As for the 4% increase in highways by 2023 – instead of the 8.4% that the contractual increase would have been without government intervention – Seopan acknowledges that it does not pose “any problem” for them, because what they will stop contributing the user fees will be reimbursed via the General State Budget.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
