Zeszyt naukowy - całość - Wydział ZarzÄ dzania i Ekonomiki Usług

Pricing and fi nancing strategies...39There are so many transport charging systems:– 9 different systems in the railways sector,– different annual taxes on lorries between Member States(MS) up to € 300,– 4 MS levy tolls on a large part of their motorway network,– VAT charges and energy taxation vary considerably between transport modesand MS.The principle, to pay where you drive for freight transport could not beimplemented because the motorway infrastructure is in many MS not in the propertyof States. A clearing system of equalizing the charges would not function.The White Paper set out for the first time aims:– to improve the overall efficiency of the provision and use of Europeaninfrastructure,– to promote fair competition,– to safeguard the single market,– to enhance the sustainability of the transport system.This approach is based on 4 concepts:– the same fundamental principles should apply to all commercial modesof transport in each MS of the EU,– infrastructure charges should be based on the “user’s pay principle”,– charges should be directly related to the costs that users impose on the infrastructureand on others,– changes should promote the efficient provision o infrastructure.The only satisfying approach is the “marginal social cost charging” i.e. chargingusers from both internal and external costs, as operating costs, infrastructuredamage costs, congestion costs, environmental costs and accident costs.The social benefits of this policy should lead to 30–80 billion € per year.The Green Paper 1995: “Towards fair and efficient pricing of transport– policy options for internalizing the external costs of transport in the EuropeanUnion” had already shown that every form of transport has undesirable sideeffectssuch as infrastructure damages, congestion, accidents or pollution, andthat current tax systems ignore the costs of these side-effects.The internalization of transport costs means making all users bear the fullsocial costs of their journeys to reduce transport problems, to reduce road accidentsby speed limits, drink/driving legislation and vehicle safety performancestandards, but no instruments to internalize the external costs of road accidents,as medical costs, lost production are in sight.