Toll rate up 12% Saturday

Toll rates on privately-run highways go up by 12 percent today (Saturday) with the imposition of value-added taxes (VAT).

Last August, the high tribunal ruled that under the law, toll rates may indeed be subject to VAT.

Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares said a passenger bus plying the 50-kilometer Magallanes-Calamba route of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) would pay an additional 83 centavos for every kilometer, or about P41.50.

At the North Luzon Expressway, the toll for class 1 vehicles from Balintawak to Sta. Ines will go up to P218 from the current P195. The toll will go up to P544 (from P486) for class 2 vehicles; and to P652 (from P583) for class 3 vehicles.

At the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, the toll from Tipo to Tarlac will go up to P272 (from P243) for class 1; to P543 (from P485) for class 2; and P815 (from P728) for class 3 vehicles.

At the SLEx, the toll from Alabang to Calamba goes up to P96 (from P86) for class 1; P192 (from P172) for class 2; and P288 (from P258) for class 3.

At the Metro Manila Skyway, rates from Merville to Alabang will go up to P164 for class 1 (from P147); to P329 (from P294) for class 2; and P493 (from P441) for class 3 vehicles.

Toll at the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (Star Toll) from Sto. Tomas to Batangas for class 1 vehicles will climb to P67 (from P60); to P134 (from P120) for class 2; and to P200 (from P179) for class 3 vehicles.

At the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway project, also known as Coastal Road, rates for the section from Roxas Boulevard to Longos, Las Piñas, will climb to P24 (from P22) for class 1; to P48 (from P43) for class 2; and to P72 (from P65) for class 3 vehicles.

At the Coastal Road’s Longos-Kawit extension, rates will climb to P64 (from P58) for class 1, to P129 (from P116) for class 2; and to P194 (from P174) for class 3 vehicles.