Truck protests being organized due to escalating toll costs
In a surprising turn of events, the federal chairman of the Goods Transport Association, Markus Fischer, has expressed his surprise at the government reaching an agreement on truck tolls without consulting them. The agreement, which is said to reduce the truck toll increase by the same percentage as the increase in the vignette for car drivers (2.9%), comes at a time when Austrian transport companies are announcing demonstrations due to the increase in truck tolls.
The last proposal on the table was an increase in truck tolls of between 10 and 13 percent, a significant burden for the transport companies that already operate under the highest truck toll rates in the EU, according to Fischer. Any further increase would have to be passed on 1:1 to consumers, potentially fueling inflation and causing greater competitive disadvantages.
Meanwhile, village and urban renewal, which was raised from the dead 40 years ago, is focusing on cohesion and regional development. Landeshauptfrau Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the chair of the "European ARGE Land Development and Village Renewal", has stated that village and urban renewal has found solutions and strengthened regions, creating 600 million euros in value with the help of 30,000 volunteers in 795 associations.
The focus of village renewal, as called for by former Governor Erwin Pröll, includes cohesion, mutual appreciation, and personal encounter. In a positive development, the number of renewal associations has increased by "an incredible 136 new associations" according to Landes-Vize Stephan Pernkopf, who is pleased with the momentum of the village and urban renewal movement after last year's restructuring.
On a separate note, the Cobra officers, a specialized police unit in Austria, undergo intensive training, including 350 hours of tactics, 280 hours of shooting exercises, and physical and mental tests. The 400 Cobra officers currently in service are called in for hostage situations, special operations against organized crime, extremism, and terrorism, personal protection services, police diving operations, transport security for the National Bank, protecting objects in the government district in Vienna, and Austrian embassies. Last week, 22 new Cobra officers were sworn in at Wiener Neustadt.
In response to the increased taxes and tolls putting pressure on business results, new demonstrations have been decided by the Austrian truck transport industry or transport companies. The demonstration, which is planned for August 15, 2021, in Vienna's city center, will involve more than 60 trucks as part of a protest against the planned toll hike.
The demonstrations come at a time when the transport sector is already grappling with a significant burden of around seven percent plus, according to Fischer. The government's decision to reduce the truck toll increase by 2.9% may not be enough to alleviate the concerns of the transport industry, leading to further protests and unrest.
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