100 trucks are parked around the Danish parliament and the drivers are protesting for this reason.

Around 100 truck drivers gathered in a demonstration in front of the Danish Parliament (Christiansborg Building) on Tuesday to express their anger over a new agreement that would impose a kilometer-based tax on trucks using Danish roads. According to Danish transport and industry companies, the proposed toll would have a significant negative impact on them, as the government wants to tax trucks that contribute to pollution. This is a matter of life or death for small and medium-sized transport companies. In addition to the truck drivers' anger over the new climate tax, which will result in hefty bills for consumers, Dansk Erhverv (the Danish Transport Union) also criticized the agreement for creating higher prices for consumers and fewer transport options for remote areas.

Currently, trucks are completely blocking Børsgade Street in Indre By, while drivers are demonstrating together in front of the Christianborg building, where speeches and remarks will be made throughout the day.

The agreement, which will be introduced by the SVM government and the Red Bloc from 2025, aims to make driving petrol and diesel trucks more expensive for transport companies. The criticism is that the tax is unbalanced, with transport operators in outlying municipalities paying the highest price, while the burden will be too heavy for transport companies from North and West Jutland, and no one can afford it, according to Benny Nielsen for TV2.

Truck mileage tax agreement

• From January 1, 2025, trucks will have to pay road tax based on the distance driven in Denmark, and the average tax rate will be approximately 1.3 Danish kroner per kilometer in 2030.
• Under the agreement, reductions of 0.3 million tons of carbon dioxide are expected in 2025 and 0.4 million tons in 2030.
• The agreement was concluded between the government (Social Democrats, Liberals and Moderates) and SF, Enhedslisten, Radikale Venstre and Alternativet.

Source: Ministry of Taxes. .

Dansk Industri shares the criticism that the tax is unbalanced, and in addition, DI Transport's industry director, Karsten Lauritzen, believes the climate impact is "very limited".

DI (Dank Industri) has put forward six proposals that could replace the fees and even become “greener.” The proposals relate to how to make the transport industry greener by supporting truck charging stations and supporting electric trucks.

Conversely, senior climate and transport adviser Jeppe Goule of the Green Transition Council criticizes DI's proposal, believing the government's proposed agreement to impose a levy is the way forward: "I fully understand that the industry is not happy about a new tax. But the fact is that this is an important climate measure, and the industry is paying too little upfront for driving on the roads and pollution," according to TV2.