A chara, – There has been an outcry over increases in road tolls at a time when consumers and commuters are already hard pressed by high inflation (“Proposal to scrap road toll increases could leave State on hook for €25 million”, News, November 21st).
As the operating costs of road toll operators have not been increasing in line with inflation and as their total income has been booming with increased traffic volumes, it is difficult to see how such increases can be justified.
The Government is said to be concerned that curbing such price increases could result in the State being faced with compensation costs of around €25 million. Surely any such cost could be clawed back through a windfall profits tax on operators making unexpectedly high profits? – Yours, etc,
FRANK SCHNITTGER,
Blessington,
Co Wicklow.