VVD MP clarifies remarks on road pricing, saying they could refer to tolls

VVD MP Bart Bikkers has clarified that his remarks about “paying according to use” were not intended as support for road-pricing schemes, saying the phrase could refer instead to tolls or fuel taxes already paid at the pump.

The clarification followed a debate on the Dutch infrastructure ministry’s budget. Bikkers had said there were “no sacred cows” when asked about road pricing and that he wanted to wait for the government’s plans. If paying according to use emerged as a way to fund infrastructure, he said, that would require a full review of taxes on cars.

His comments prompted fellow MP Mona Keijzer to warn that motorists were being drawn into paying a new tax. Bikkers later said his answer could have created the impression that the VVD supported road pricing, adding that this was not what he meant.

The phrase “paying according to use” has long been used as a synonym for road pricing, Nieuws.nl reported. It was also included in the coalition agreement of the previous Rutte cabinet. Bikkers’s clarification leaves the VVD’s position on any future government proposal dependent on what form it takes.