In accordance with the bill, the rate of the fee would depend on the sum of the maximum mass of the truck and the trailer, the number of axles, as well as the vehicle's emissions class, which means that the legislation would be conducive to the use of less polluting vehicles, spokespeople for the government said.

While the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications initially planned to impose the tax on vehicles with a maximum mass of more than 12 tons, this was not supported by the European Commission. Several interest groups also spoke up in favor of levying the tax from 3.5 tons onwards to avoid distorting competition.

The rate of the fee would be €500 per year on the average for trucks with a maximum mass of 3.5-12 tons and €1,000 for trucks with a maximum mass in excess of 12 tons. The daily rate would range from €9-12. It would also be possible to pay the charge per week, per month or per quarter.

The estimated positive revenue impact of the tax is about €17 million annually.

The measure would take effect from Jan. 1, 2018 and the money raised by the tax would be used for the maintenance of transport infrastructure.