Flemish government starts work on road tax for foreign drivers

Mobility minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) will immediately start work on a road tax sticker for foreigners driving on Flemish roads, she announced on Tuesday morning. The Flemish government expects revenue from the digital vignette by 2027, but an agreement with Wallonia has to be reached first.

The coalition agreement of the new government provides for the introduction of a vignette. Minister De Ridder says the vignette will be a digital solution to get foreign drivers to support Flemish roads. "Flemings pay, lorries pay, so it is only logical," the minister told Radio 1 on Tuesday. She also promised that fares for Flemish citizens would not increase.

This is not the first time that a Flemish government has planned to introduce a vignette. But these plans have often met with resistance, for example from the Netherlands. "But that was the classic system of a vignette. Now we are talking about a digital method of collection," explains De Ridder.

In any case, she will consult with Wallonia in the near future, which is also planning to introduce a toll sticker. The process will have to be quick, as the government is expecting revenues soon: the digital vignette should bring in 130 million euros a year from 2027.

Investments in De Lijn

De Ridder is also in charge of De Lijn. On Tuesday, she unveiled some of her plans for the Flemish public transport company. These include a one-off injection of 400 million euros for the purchase of buses and trams.

De Ridder also spoke of a "solid growth path for operations". This includes a further 125 million euros by 2029. It has not yet been decided how this money will be used. The intention is to spend it in line with demand, said De Ridder, without losing sight of rural areas.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}