When the Portuguese government introduced tolls on motorways that used to be free, protesters claimed the charges would put off the Spanish market – but now it is clear that the Spaniards have taken the tolls very much in their stride… by simply ignoring them.
According to Spanish newspaper Faro de Vigo, as many as 300.000 drivers are now being pressured by motorway concession holders Brisa and Ascendi to pay up.
In Galiza alone as many as 40.000 drivers are being targeted – with money owed mounting up to 11 million euros since 2008.
Whether or not the Spanish will pay, remains to be seen. Certainly those interviewed this week by Porto Canal news maintain Portugal’s motorways to be abysmally signed when it comes to payment requirements.
“There is no kind of information of where we should pay, or how much”, driver Maria Váldez told Porto Canal journalist Vânia Correia.
But Brisa is reported to be unimpressed by these protestations, saying that it suspects many drivers do not pay deliberately.
Brisa and Ascendi are now “getting tough” on debtors, saying if funds do not come in within the next 15 days, they will resort to court actions.
Two million evade tolls in 2014 alone
Meantime, tax authorities are said to be hotly pursuing “more than two million situations where tolls have not been paid” in 2014 alone.
According to tabloid Correio da Manhã, tolls are being evaded to the tune of €11,000 per day.
Tax authorities automatically issue two processes when drivers pass through tolls without paying, and don’t “regularise” the situation within 15 days.
Fines are always at least 10 times the amount of the toll, and in the case of businesses, they can be 20 times greater.
Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs Paulo Núncio has said that since the authorities began cracking down on toll evaders, infractions have dropped by 40%.
But the government’s policy, this far, has not worked so well with drivers from outside of Portugal.
