The tolling system to be levied on Gauteng highways is far too complex to enforce, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday.
“With the current billing chaos resulting mainly from the flawed Johannesburg computer system, not forgetting similar problems with the Ekurhuleni and Tshwane systems last year, yet another area of concern is being created with this system due to its complexity,” DA transport spokesman in Gauteng Neil Campbell said in a statement.
“Taxes are meant to be transparent and simple to understand, and a toll is just another tax. This one however is so complicated that mistakes are bound to creep in,” he said.
This follows the announcement by the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) of tariffs for the 185 kilometre Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.
Its chief executive officer Nazir Alli said motorists who purchased the e-tag system would pay 49.5 cents a kilometre. Medium-sized vehicles with the e-tag would be charged R1.49/km and heavy-duty vehicles with an e-tag R2.97/km.
Motorists would get further discounts depending on when they used the highway and on whether they were frequent users.
Campbell anticipated that those using the roads the least would pay the most.
“The person who finds him or herself on the freeway, perhaps by accident, will pay the most. Everyone else, it seems, except those too lazy to obtain an e-tag, qualifies for some form of discount which will be calculated after the event by a computer system,” he said.
“While I am not in favour of these tolls being levied at all because of the lack of affordable, reliable, safe, punctual and widespread public transport alternatives, I am in favour of any decrease in the high cost of these tolls, but why do we have to make the simple act of tolling the highways as complicated as completing a SARS provisional tax return?”
Sanral could not immediately comment.
The Freedom Front Plus accused Sanral of being “dishonest” with the public about the tariffs.
At first it had said that the cost would be 50 cents/km, but eventually announced a cost of 66c/km.
“The Gauteng open tollgate tariff system is nothing other than an added tax,” FF Plus parliamentary spokesman Anton Alberts said in a statement.
“The public is so tired of paying taxes raised by government that the FF Plus's online petition to have the tariff set at 5c/km has garnered more than 50 000 signatures,” he said.
Alberts said the tariff would harm the Gauteng and South African economies.
“Road users will struggle financially even more, while the taxes on petrol should in actual fact have been used to cover road maintenance and upgrading costs.
“These tollgate tariffs could have the same effect as the American protest against taxes which gave rise to the tea party rebellion” he said. -Sapa