24/04/2012
1. Toll roads are built on properties purchased by taxpayers' money. They've been in the public domain for years and should have been maintained and expanded to meet the needs of motorists. Maintenance of roads is an expenditure payable by taxation on fuel. If our taxes were properly managed and distributed then there wouldn't have been a need for all the toll roads.
Basis price of fuel is 624.55c/liter. This is the price of landing fuel at South-African harbours.
Basic taxation on fuel is 177.5c/liter. (this is the money that should be used for maintaining our roads)
The Road Accident Fund is an additional expense component on fuel. Currently receiving 80c for every liter pumped. This is supposed to be much lower. The fund had to be rescued from bankruptcy (due to mismanagement?) by adding an additional 17.5c/liter [2009]. There's a further yearly contribution to this fund of 8c/liter.
Talking about maintenance. Why do motorcycles need to pay the same toll fee as cars? They don't impact the roads in the way that a car or truck does. Just compare the average weight of a motorcycle to a car.
2. Most toll-roads projects are outsourced to foreign firms (Spain, France etc.) as joint venture partnership projects. These firms are profit driven, and operate without any consideration for the South African road users. That's one of the reasons why the Gauteng toll road project was one of the most expensive road projects in comparison to other countries.
A recent study by well-known economist Mike Schussler found that the Gauteng roads project is between 106% and 228% more expensive than equivalent projects worldwide.
A report released by AfriForum and Road Freight Assocation (RFA) found that SANRAL will receive a monthly income of R300 million. A monthly income of only R193 million is needed to finance the project's costs. This is a real money-making opportunity!
3. Toll is increasing instead of decreasing. Ask yourself the question; are you being forced to pay incrementally more every month to service an existing house bond? Of cause not, but you are forced to pay more for our toll roads "bonds". Toll-roads are getting paid off in a record time with a yearly increase in road users. This might also lead to an increase of road maintenance but there is still no comparison to the profits made in comparison to the expenditures. Don't forget firms like SANRAL get a discount for materials purchased in bulk.
4. Why is only Gauteng road users the "milking-cow" for the Gauteng toll project? Gauteng is the heartbeat of the country. Most factories and major companies are located in and around Gauteng. They provide goods and services to the rest of the country. Increase in toll will only lead to a general increase in price of all products and services rendered to the rest of the country. We used to believe that there's an alternative for every toll road built. What is the alternative for the R21 Pretoria -> OR Tambo airport road?
Toll roads are an inefficient approach for proving public transport. The toll-road concept foster corruption and political patronage for "fat cats", while discouraging needed maintenance to public roads. Toll roads are literally a monopoly, while any resemblance of the free-market model is nothing more than an illusion.
And if you are still not convinced. The Gautrain project was supposed to be an alternative for the Gauteng roads project, and therefore a justification for tolling these roads. This is unfortunately not a real alternative. Most motorists would like to use this system but are restricted by a few fundamental problems. These problems range from security-factors, costs, promptness or just the accessibility of this system. There need to be a real incentive for using public transport.
Lets' look at the following real-world comparison with another third world country (Thailand): You can take the Bangkok (BTS) Airport Link from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Pratunam (common tourism area with concentration of hotels) for 150 Baht. That's about R37.00. Distance travelled: 23.52km (R1.57/km).
Our alternative is the Gautrain, affected by cable theft and striking bus drivers. A single trip from OR Tambo International Airport to Sandton is currently R105.00. Distance travelled (by car): 38 km (R2.76/km). Please note: the actual distance is probably less.
Are South African road users really paying proportional to their income, or are we being stepped on? Honest tax payers are nearing the end of the road. This could be the dawn of a forceful transition into a Greece-like scenario, where taxpayers just don't have the motivation of paying tax.
