Those who had paid money towards their e-toll bill should be refunded and e-tolling should be scrapped, the Federation of Unions of SA said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“People who have paid money to the e-toll system should be refunded,” Fedusa spokesman Junior Gys told the advisory panel on e-tolling and its socio-economic impact in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
“E-tolling should never have been implemented.”<\/p>\n
Their reasons were due to the lack of consultation with the residents of roads, and e-toll collection being expensive and a burden.<\/p>\n
“The same people who are not being consulted through this process are the ones expected to pay for e-tolling,” Gys said in a brief presentation to the panel.<\/p>\n
The fuel levy would be a more fair way of recouping the funds needed for Gauteng’s freeways and road infrastructure, he said.<\/p>\n
In its current form, e-tolling economically challenged Gauteng residents, and a person not paying their e-tolls faced possible blacklisting.<\/p>\n
Gys said Fedusa had always maintained that the e-toll system was costly and would have a negative impact on the poor, as the rich would be the only ones who could afford e-tags.<\/p>\n
“We believe the poorest of the poor will be negatively impacted,” Gys said.<\/p>\n
The panel would focus on the implications and perceptions of financing the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) and e-tolls.<\/p>\n
The Gauteng provincial government is holding a month-long consultation process over the project, starting on Wednesday, with organisations and individuals.<\/p>\n
Organisations were invited to make submissions on the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the GFIP and e-tolls, and how e-tolling’s costs and benefits were distributed across society and the economy.<\/p>\n
The panel was expected to report to premier David Makhura at the end of November.<\/p>\n
Union suggests e-toll funding alternatives<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n E-toll panel opens for public consultation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n E-tolls review panel outlines consultation process<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n