News & Publications

New Taxes in Hungary & France Impact Transportation Costs

On 01 July 2013, Hungary implemented a road tax, a mandatory toll payment for all vehicles with a maximum total permissible weight over 3.5 tons. The payment is determined by the type of road (highway, motorway, etc.), category of motor vehicle (determined by number of axles) and the vehicle’s environmental classification or emission.
This new electronic toll collection system is named “HU-GO” and refers to the 6,513 km Hungarian road network covering all routes suitable for freight transport – thus, the toll is unavoidable.  A simple estimate of the road tax can be used as follows:

Highway:     86.70 HUF per km
Main road:     54.07 HUF per km

For example, a one-way intra-Hungary transport from Rajka to Budapest on the highway will cost approximately 9710 HUF or 32 EUR.  For shipping to countries such as Romania or Bulgaria, the tax could be as high as 125 EUR – a significant amount in addition to transportation and fuel costs.

France will introduce the heavy goods vehicle (HGV) Eco-Tax, TPLN in French, on 01 October 2013 as part of the Grenelle Environment law. The goal of the HGV Eco-Tax is to establish a fair, nondiscriminatory system of taxing heavy goods vehicles without consideration of their national origin.

Tax enforcement will be via on board units or OBU’s, installed on vehicles subject to the tax and will be programmed according to the transport category.  The OBU, which includes a GPS system, will calculate the amount of tax based on the distance and roads used.

The overall estimated increase in transport cost is 5% – 10% as it depends on the category of vehicle, distance and type of motorway.  Although the rate has not been set, it is expected to be 0.125 EUR per km.
The vehicle transport category is determined on EURO class, tonnage and number of axles.  The tax will be lower in some regions including Britanny, Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees.  Vehicles without OBU’s will be subject to a 750 EUR fine.

 

This website uses a variety of cookies, which you consent to if you continue to use this site. You can read our Privacy Policy for details about how these cookies are used. Manage Cookies