On Monday, the Ministry of Transport published clarifications on the recommendations of the Presidential Council on Human Rights (HRC) regarding the Platon toll collection system for vehicles weighing over 12 tons, according to information on the ministry's website.

The department notes in its explanations that together with Rosstavtodor and representatives of large, medium and small businesses, with the participation of the operator of the Platon system, a working group has been created in which maximum representation of all interested parties is ensured. The materials and minutes of the working group are published on the system's website. "All constructive proposals for improving the system's operation have been worked out by the Ministry of Transport, and the necessary compromises have been found," the ministry notes.

Thus, the Human Rights Council recommended that the Cabinet of Ministers conduct an analysis of the efficiency of the mechanism for collecting taxes and fees, taking into account the demands of truck drivers for its optimization. According to the Ministry of Transport, the proposed increase in excise taxes as an alternative to the system will again lead to the fact that ordinary owners of passenger cars will have to pay for the commercial use of roads by heavy trucks, which is fundamentally wrong. It was precisely to redistribute the financial burden from owners of passenger cars to owners of heavy trucks that the decision was made to switch to the "user pays" system.

The Council also recommended that the Ministry of Transport conduct a thorough calculation of the average actual daily mileage of one heavy-duty vehicle on federal highways and, based on this, determine the justified amount of planned budget revenues in the form of taxes and fees.

"The recommendation is not feasible at least because the calculation cannot be both average and actual. At the same time, all necessary calculations were carried out before the introduction of the toll collection system and were presented during the preparation of the relevant legislative and regulatory acts establishing its introduction," the Ministry of Transport writes.

In addition, the HRC considered it necessary for the Accounts Chamber and the Prosecutor General's Office to conduct, under public control, an audit of the validity and legality of the concession agreement between Rosavtodor and the operator of the Platon system - RTITS - and to publicly announce the results of the audit. The Ministry of Transport, in turn, reported that the concession agreement with RTITS was concluded by Rosavtodor within the framework of its competence, strictly in accordance with the order and procedures established by federal law on the basis of the relevant decision of the Russian government.

The proposals on the fee amount, the Ministry of Transport added, were formulated by the Ministry of Transport based on the research work conducted. At the same time, the department emphasized that the established fee amount is significantly lower than the tariffs in the EU countries.

The Ministry of Transport responded to the recommendations of the Human Rights Council on the Platon system