29 March 2017, 03:46
Dagestani truck drivers demand to cancel "Platon" system and reduce petrol excises (+video)
After the end of the rally against the "Platon" system, Dagestani truck drivers held a rally near the village of Manas in the Karabudakhkent District. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that the meeting was attended by about 600 people who demanded to cancel the "Platon" system, reduce petrol excise and transport tax.
On March 27, truck drivers resumed their mass protests against the "Platon" system, which was introduced to collect toll from drivers of heavy trucks for travelling on federal roads. The protest action was joined by truck drivers from Dagestan, who decided to stop their transportations starting from March 27. Truck drivers from Volgograd, Baksan, Ossetia, and Astrakhan also joined the protest action.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 28, according to the Association of Dagestani truck drivers, 500-600 drivers of heavy trucks took part in a protest action against the "Platon" system.
At the rally, Abdurashid Samadov, a truck driver from the Karabudakhkent District, has read out a message addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
"Do the country's leaders fail to see that the authorities squeeze last penny out of us? People have come out to the protest action because of desperation. The authorities force us to pay quarterly taxes, and people pay them in due time. The authorities introduced a petrol excise and said that the transport tax would be cancelled, but it was not cancelled. Now, the 'Platon' system is also on our necks. The authorities are trying to report to us that they have repaired some bridges for the money that we pay for the 'Platon' system, but it is all nonsense. Like earlier, road and bridges are being repaired at the state expense, and our money goes into the pockets of some individuals," said Abdurashid Samadov.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Patimat Makhmudova Source: CK correspondent
