The roads covered by the toll system will be mainly the major traffic axes such as the E19 from the Netherlands, the E40 toward Germany and the E411 to Luxembourg and France. However the regions will be free to add to the basic network, and make selected roads subject to tolls.

The truck-based system - which will be developed, installed and run by a private company - will be similar to one already in use in Germany. Trucks that use Belgian roads regularly would be fitted with an on-board unit to report their kilometres to a satellite detection system; drivers who visit or transit only seldom would be able to pick one up at entry points.

The tolls charged will depend on the roads used, the time and the place, as well as the environmental impact of the particular vehicle in question, with greener trucks paying less. The costs of the system will be shared by the three regions according to an agreed structure. The income from tolls will go the region according to the roads used, so that a truck in transit from the Netherlands to France could end up paying all three regions, while one passing from the port of Antwerp to Germany might only pay to Flanders.

The main fear of opponents of the system is that forcing a toll on freight traffic will affect Belgium's competitive position. A study has been commissioned to determine the impact, which will report back in March. However since Germany and France both now operate tolls on major roads, it's not easy to see how the haulage industry could avoid Belgium to any economic effect. The Dutch haulage industry organisation EVO and the transport sector organisation TLN estimate the system will cost industry ␣36 million a year, without reducing congestion or contributing to the upkeep of roads. The Belgian motoring organisation Touring described the system as "a new form of taxation," but the Flemish region denied it would see any profit from the system.

Foreign cars will have to pay
The other part of the system is the "road sticker", which will be required for all cars using the roads. For cars registered in Belgium, the sticker will form part of the normal road tax already paid, with possible additional payments for heavily-polluting cars. The governments involved have denied that the new system will lead to an increase in payments, except in the case of cars with heavy emissions.

Drivers from abroad would also have to buy a sticker, though in the interests of protecting the tourist industry, visitors from the Netherlands, for example, would be able to buy a low-cost version to allow them to make regular trips to a particular city (such as Antwerp) or to come from Zeeland into West and East Flanders.

The income from the new sticker would, in the case of drivers living in Belgium, go to the region where the driver is resident. For income from foreign cars, the regions have still to agree on a division, with the Walloon mobility minister André Antoine last week suggesting a split of 52% to Flanders, 38%
to Wallonia and 10% to Brussels.