MOSCOW (Sputnik) – In spite of numerous contacts with the German authorities since November 2014, the Commission's concerns have not been addressed, the statement outlined.
"The German legislation grants vehicles registered in Germany the benefit of a 1:1 deduction of the road charge from their annual vehicle tax bill. This would lead to a 'de facto' exemption from the charge exclusively for the cars registered in Germany. Moreover, prices for short-term vignettes (for periods of less than a year), which are intended for use by vehicles registered abroad only, are disproportionality high in some cases," the statement said.
The infringement proceedings were initiated by the European Commission in June 2015, after Germany unveiled its initiative to charge foreign drivers up to 130 euros a year to use its autobahn highways, which until now have been free.
