Russia's Transport Ministry could soon introduce special fees for vehicles crossing the border, the Kommersant newspaper reported Thursday.
The tariffs, which
could be in place by the second half of 2017, would likely be used to
fund border checkpoints.
"The proposals could start with vehicles paying set tariffs on whether they fit into certain categories, while trains would pay per ton of cargo,” an unnamed source told Kommersant.
Other plans would see tariffs only introduced at new checkpoints built in partnership with private investors, the newspaper wrote.
Border crossing points fell under the remit of the Ministry of Transport during a government reshuffle earlier this year. Some 80 percent of Russia's 314 border crossings require modernization, according to Deputy Transport Minister Alexei Tsydenov.
Tsydenov also claimed that
between 200 to 250 border crossing points require private investment
to ensure that they are reconstructed and modernized, with average
costs potentially reaching 1 billion rubles ($15.7 million),
Kommersant reported.
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