Traffic promises to be difficult on the main Alsatian roads Monday October 7 in the morning. At the call of the National Federation of Road Transport Alsace (FNTR Alsace), opposed to the heavy goods vehicle tax project, the R-Pass, supported by the European Community of Alsace (CEA), a “large-scale” snail operation should paralyze traffic from the north to the south of Alsace.
Two heavy goods vehicle convoys will set off from 8:45 a.m.: one from the Allée de l’Ecoparc Rhenan in Reichstett and the other from the Aspach Bridge in Burnhaupt. They will converge on the CEA headquarters in Colmar, with an arrival scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
On site, farmers will join the ranks of demonstrators, under the banners of FDSEA 68 and 67, the Young Farmers of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin, the Association of Winegrowers of Alsace and the Grand Est Agricultural Cooperation .
Road hauliers and farmers alike fear that the implementation of the R-Pass, the principle of which must be adopted during the CEA plenary session this month, will further weaken local economic players and have a strong impact on the price of products.
Probable implementation by 2027
This carbon tax, which must apply to heavy goods vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes traveling on unlicensed motorways, could see the light of day by the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027. The announced aim is to tax international transit and rebalance traffic with the German Maut, on the basis of a kilometric rate of between 15 and 19 euro cents, or 64 million euros in expected annual revenue. An impact study presented on September 11 estimates that the effects on the local economy will be limited, without however convincing the opponents of the tax.
