Georges-Louis Bouchez defends road vignette: 'It won't cost you one more euro'

Georges-Louis Bouchez, president of the Mouvement Réformateur, has staunchly defended the proposed road vignette, asserting that it will not impose any additional financial burden on citizens. Speaking on Saturday, Bouchez emphasized that the vignette is a crucial mechanism for financing road infrastructure, a point he believes has been lost in the public debate. He argued that the current system is unsustainable and that the vignette offers a fairer distribution of costs.

Bouchez criticized the opposition's portrayal of the vignette as a new tax, calling it misinformation. He stated that the cost of the vignette is already implicitly covered by citizens through existing taxes and that the new system merely reallocates these funds more transparently. He stressed that the objective is not to increase revenue but to ensure adequate funding for road maintenance and development, which he deems essential for the country's economy and citizens' safety.

The MR leader also addressed concerns about the implementation, assuring that the process would be streamlined and efficient. He urged for a pragmatic and constructive dialogue, moving beyond what he described as ideological objections. Bouchez believes that a well-implemented road vignette system is vital for the future of mobility and infrastructure in Belgium, and he is committed to seeing it through despite the political challenges.