Denmark got new camera cars on January 1st. However, they don't flash all drivers. In fact, only truck drivers and hauliers can fall into the trap.
We're only a week and a few days into the new year, but new photo vans on the roads are already causing a lot of debate among drivers.
What are they for? According to presse-fotos.dk , it's about a photo truck that specifically targets trucks that don't pay a mileage tax. A tax that was introduced gradually on January 1, 2025 and which will cover all kilometers of road in Denmark over the course of a few years.
– From January 1, 2025, trucks weighing 12 tons and over will pay a toll to drive on the majority of the state road network and parts of the municipal road network (approximately 10,900 kilometers).
– It is estimated to cover approximately 75 percent of the total number of short kilometers with trucks, writes vejafgift.dk.
Despite strong protests that paralyzed large parts of traffic in Denmark last year, the government is determined to introduce the tax. And that is why the new photo vans have been rolled out on the roads.
However, the scheme has also been met with massive criticism. According to DTL Danske Vognmænd, it costs the state 300 million kroner a year in administration alone.
– This is an extremely expensive and highly inefficient way of collecting taxes. The cost of administration corresponds to almost 30 percent of the net revenue of DKK 1 billion annually.
It is based on an assumption that 10 percent of truck traffic in 2030 will be electric, and it completely excludes the use of, for example, biodiesel and biogas. We do not believe that this is balanced at all, the organization writes.
Right now, the rules are set up in such a way that trucks have to pay just over DKK 1.20 per short kilometer to drive on the kilometers of roads that are subject to a toll. However, from 2027, the toll will be rolled out further, so that it covers all 75,000 kilometers of roads in the country.
Truck owners are far from the only ones who will have to pay more to drive on the roads in 2025. All private drivers will have to do the same. In recent years, periodic taxes have increased dramatically. The same applies to taxes on both gasoline and diesel.
Even vintage cars, which don't drive very many kilometers each year, are not immune to the climbs. Read more about it here .
