Decree-law no. 294/97 determines that the variation to be
applied each year is based on the year-on-year inflation rate, without housing,
on the continent in the last month for which data are available before 15
November.
Now, concessionaires have until next Tuesday, November 15th,
to communicate to the Government their price proposals for 2023. The State will
then have a period of 30 days to comment.
After the presentation of the concessionaires' proposal, the
Government will be able to intervene in this matter and limit the increases.
Motorway managers will be able to negotiate, but must demand compensation, such
as the extension of concession contracts, according to Jornal de Negócios.
The executive chairman of Brisa, António Pires de Lima, also
warned of the situation at the end of July. “Tolls are directly related to
inflation, it is the inflation indicator in October that will determine the
value of tolls, therefore, they should increase and with some significance in
the next year, unless the State shows openness to find mechanisms that
compensate Brisa of this increase and can dilute it over time, or include it in
the concession renegotiation work group”, said the leader of the largest
highway concessionaire in the country.
After four consecutive years of increases — 0.62% in 2016;
0.84% in 2017; 1.42% in 2018; and 0.98% in 2019 –, the prices of tolls on
motorways were not changed in 2020 and 2021.