Panama considers canal toll increase

Panama is considering increasing tolls for ships passing through the Panama Canal, to allow for a future expansion of the waterway, Economy Minister Ricaurte Vasquez said on Tuesday.
The minister said he discussed possible toll fee increases when he met last week with the canal's board of international advisers in Chile. He did not say how much an increase could be. Canal tolls, which represent 6.4 of the country's gross domestic product, were last raised in the 2002-03 fiscal year.