The cooperation between Portuguese and Spanish anti-toll protestors reached a new intensity today as representatives met in Ayamonte on the eve of the third anniversary of the financially ruinous Via do Infante toll system.
The meeting brought together individuals, business representatives and trade association members to discuss the damaging consequences that the A22/Via do Infante tolls have had on the Algarve and Andalucian economies.
One of the proposals from the ‘Spanish-Portuguese Platform of Users Against Tolls on the A22’ is for slow-moving vehicles to cross the Guadiana International Bridge to mark the 3rd anniversary of tolls which were introduced in December 2011 and from the media atttention gained, again highlight the topsy-turvey thinking that went into the original tolls contract and demand an end to the tolls.
"Almost three years have passed since the introduction of tolls in the Algarve, December 8, 2011, by the PSD/CDS coalition government. Economic and social problems have worsened in the region. The EN125 did not get fixed up as promised by the government, except the Faro bypass which is still on go-slow since the announcement in the summer that it was going ahead. The rest of the EN125 route has been abandoned and is continuously deteriorating. Traffic accidents are increasing daily," say the protestors.
Citing data released recently by the National Road Safety Authority, the movement stresses that on the EN125 since the beginning of the year to November 15, there have been 7,486 accidents resulting in 26 fatalities and 116 serious injured. This is 8 more fatalities than in the same period last year.
The volume of taffic has caused damage to the road surface as many trade vehicles use the EN125 so as to avoid stiff toll payments on the motorway.
According to the platform, the Andalusian region, particularly in Huelva province, has also been suffering with the tolls on the Via do Infante.
According to figures released by the Huelva Business Federation, in 2013 the province had an economic loss of €12 million and the Spanish tax authorities saw a drop in revenue of €2.5 million.
"The economic loss is up to 40% in key sectors of the economy in Andalusia and the Algarve," says the movement.
In 2013 there was a fall of 50% in the number of Spanish visitors in the Algarve region, according to the Spanish-Portuguese Platform.
The bitterest pill for the Portuguese taxpayer is that the government sends a support payment each year to the toll company to compensate it for the inevitable drop in traffic volume brought about by the introduction of tolls. The Kafkaesque situation seems to be perfectly acceptable to Lisbon despite its mantra of ‘user pays.’
In this case, the additional unnecessary support payments, up to €40 million a year, have been coming from general taxation so Portugal's taxpayers are supporting an Algarve based toll company which is owned by Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial.
'The user pays and the taxpayer pays again - unnecessarily.'
Comments
Or, the EU might look at the additional €40 million p.a. going to Spain and scrap the tolls as economically insane.
Why does no Algarve deputy speak out against the tolls? Do they represent the views of the voters? Why did Macário Correia perform a volte-face after going to Lisbon to consult his political bosses? Why can the politicians never answer questions on the subject of the tolls?
It feels as if somewhere, someone, has decided that the tolls should stay. In my opinion it is the EU, which tells its Portuguese debtor exactly what to do.