50% discount on electric vehicle highway tolls → reduced to 40% next year

The government is extending highway toll reduction benefits for eco-friendly cars and trucks that were scheduled to expire at the end of this year.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 12th that, as part of its policy to stabilize people’s livelihoods, it will announce legislation to amend the ‘Toll Road Act Enforcement Decree’, which extends the highway toll reduction system for eco-friendly vehicles such as electric and hydrogen vehicles.

The government has been reducing highway tolls by 50% since 2017 to support the spread of eco-friendly vehicles. The discount system has been extended twice so far and was scheduled to expire at the end of this year. The government plans to review the need to support the distribution of eco-friendly vehicles and extend the tax reduction system for an additional three years until 2027.

However, the highway toll reduction rate for eco-friendly vehicles will gradually decrease to 40% next year, 30% in 2026, and 20% in 2027. This is because highway tolls have been frozen for 9 years and there is a lack of financial resources for maintenance.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained that some of the resources secured by reducing tax cuts will be used to support vulnerable groups, such as reducing toll fees for rental vehicles for the disabled.

The late-night discount system for trucks will be further extended until 2026, taking into account the effects of dispersing traffic and reducing logistics costs. This is a system that reduces toll fees by up to 50% depending on the rate of late-night use. The system of reducing tolls by 30% for buses equipped with automatic emergency braking system (AEBS) will end.

Reporter Yoo Oh-sang osyoo@hankyung.com