Johannesburg - A national fuel levy is likely to replace e-tolling as the ANC back-pedals on its controversial decision to toll Gauteng’s freeways to repay its R20bn public infrastructure debt.
The governing party is said to be wary of going into the 2016 municipal elections without tackling e-tolling, which has contributed to its electoral decline in the country’s economic heartland.
The ANC dropped from 64% in 2009 to 54% in this year’s general elections.
Delivering his state of the province address on Friday, Gauteng Premier David Makhura announced that he would set up a panel “to review the impact of e-tolls and invite new proposals on how we can find a lasting solution to this matter”.
Current system
He said the review panel would make further announcements on the issue once it had been set up.
However, a Gauteng ANC leader suggested that a national levy was the most viable alternative to the current system.
This is even though the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has opposed the option of a fuel levy, saying that efficient fuel consumption by modern vehicles will result in less revenue than was needed.
The governing party is said to be wary of going into the 2016 municipal elections without tackling e-tolling, which has contributed to its electoral decline in the country’s economic heartland.
The ANC dropped from 64% in 2009 to 54% in this year’s general elections.
Delivering his state of the province address on Friday, Gauteng Premier David Makhura announced that he would set up a panel “to review the impact of e-tolls and invite new proposals on how we can find a lasting solution to this matter”.
Current system
He said the review panel would make further announcements on the issue once it had been set up.
However, a Gauteng ANC leader suggested that a national levy was the most viable alternative to the current system.
This is even though the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has opposed the option of a fuel levy, saying that efficient fuel consumption by modern vehicles will result in less revenue than was needed.