Abstract

Toll-roads give a country the possibility of creating an infrastructure network without putting the cost on the shoulders of the taxpayers. The concession system raises the funds needed for the construction on the capital market, and the repayment is charged at the time of the utilisation, on each single user, in reason of the usage. Subsidisation of road traffic by the taxpayers is then prevented. Toll-roads can be operated else by state-owned or by private companies. Italy experienced both of the two systems, before and after the privatization of Autostrade S.p.A. in 2000. The passage from the public to the private sector showed an improvement in service parameters and a slower rate of increase of tariffs, compared to the inflation rate. Impressive increases of efficiency experienced in some kind of costs, in particular on procurements, may mean that sometimes under public control apparent inefficiency may cover diversion of hidden profits.