“We understand the drivers’ protests well,” North Holland deputies Jeroen Olthof (mobility) and Esther Rommel (economy and finance) told ANP. “The high fuel prices hit this sector very hard. However, the effect of the high fuel prices permeates the entire economy and the consequences affect more sectors, entrepreneurs and residents. That is why policy and measures should really come from the government.”
Provinces have virtually no options to dampen the effect of increased prices. They do levy surcharges, a provincial tax on top of the motor vehicle tax.
“If we were to reduce this by 1 percent, this would only save a small amount per year per car. So the effect is really minimal and only noticeable by the car owners,” says Noord-Holland.
Frisian deputies do not want to respond to the truckers’ protest.
Social media call
Truck drivers had been called on social media to protest against fuel prices, which have skyrocketed since the outbreak of war in and around Iran. About 15 drivers gathered this morning around 6 a.m. at the restaurant in Zurich, at the head of the Afsluitdijk.
The demonstration was supervised by Rijkswaterstaat and the police. During the protest, people honk loudly and drive at twenty kilometers per hour. In addition to the Afsluitdijk, several trucks on the A4 towards The Hague also slowed down traffic for a while.
