The Swedish Parliament voted in 2006 in favour of implementing a national kilometre tax for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in Sweden. The one proviso was that it had to be shown that the tax would not bring any unreasonable consequences for specific regions or branches of industry. The conceptual design studies and national requirements for the tax are described. The tax will cover all public roads and some private roads and will be designed to stimulate the use of high-class roads by having a lower tax on motorways than secondary roads. It will apply to all domestic and foreign vehicles with a maximum laden weight greater than 3.5 tonnes. A higher tax will be possible during rush hours. The tax will be compliant with existing and planned road toll schemes to ensure interoperability. The system, if implemented, is expected to come into operation in 2011-2012. The conceptual design envisages using a simple onboard unit, following a thin-client concept, for domestic use. Swedish vehicles equipped for European interoperability will be managed as foreign vehicles. They may have an interoperability contract with any European electronic toll service (EETS) provider. The ways in which unequipped vehicles will be handled are discussed. An ARENA has been set up for coordination of the activities required for successful implementation of the kilometre tax.
Abstract