Hybrid loans-vignettes system for financing motorway construction?

During the Senate debate on the road infrastructure investments bill, Deputy Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Piłat announced that the project concerning the construction of motorways, which is to replace the vignettes bill rejected by the Sejm, has been completed. Infrastructure Minister Marek Pol declared that his Ministry, "Will undoubtedly use the proposal to boost the fund with small charges of a few groszy imposed on fuel importers and producers." The proposal to introduce an annual registration fee to be paid by passenger car owners was also discussed by the Senate. According to Infrastructure Commission member Andrzej Różański from the Democratic Left Alliance, the registration fee, "Is nothing else but a vignette under a new name." The new proposal also assumes the launch of a new fund finance the construction of motorways. Deputy Finance Minster Piotr Sawicki on Friday said that it is necessary to return to a concept of toll motoways, the construction of which will be partly financed by a EUR 380 million loan from the European Investment Bank which will be taken by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego. However Sawicki pointed out that loans cannot be the sole source of financing motorway construction. (Gazeta Finansowa, April 5-11, pp. 1, 2) K.Ż.