Mersey Tunnel users are to stage a campaign of opposition to plans for increases in tolls from April 2011.
Councillors on the Merseytravel have voted to maintaining the existing toll charge for cars at £1.40p for a further twelve months.
That means drivers will continue to have the benefit of the current 20pence "discount" on the approved rate of £1.60, which was sanctioned last year.
But a report to the Budget meeting of the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority (MITA) says that the increase to £1.60 will be justified next Spring since the economy is expected to have recovered by then.
The Mersey Tunnel Users Association (MTUA) is opposed to any increase in the tolls which it labels a blight on the region's economy.
Dave Loudon, chairman of the Mersey Tunnels Users Association, who was present at the meeting, welcomed the not to impose an increase in 2010.
He said that "This will save a regular user from having to hand over an extra £100 over the next 12 months.
"But there is a very big sting in the tail, since the implicatio is that the toll will almost certainly be increased in 2011.
"The MTUA is urging everyone to lobby their councillors over this issue.
"Tolls divide the people on one side of the river from the other and damage the local economy and this prospective increase will further discourage new businesses from investing, particularly in Wirral."
Mr Loudon also rubbished predictions, contained in a Merseytravel report, of dire consequences if the tolls were completely scrapped.
It shows that Wirral has suffered less growth than other parts of Merseyside but denies that this is because the area is blighted by the effect of the tolls.
It says only 1 - 5 businesses regard the tolls as an impediment to reaching customers.
The report also suggests that cross-river traffic would increase by 40% if tolls were removed leading to congestion and major traffic jams.
It predicts 600 retail jobs would we lost on Wirral if the tolls were scrapped, since more shoppers would gravitate to Liverpool instead of Wirral.
Mr Loudon added: "The suggestion that removing the tolls would cause traffic jams is clearly nonsense.
"Before tolls were removed on four crossings in Scotland there were similar predictions which proved completely unfounded. Traffic now flows more freely at those locations and removing tolls has had a beneficial effect on the economy in those areas.
"The Mersey Tunnels are the only road in the North West and North Wales area where users have to pay a toll on top of the burden of fuel duty and all the other taxes on roads use.
"There is no mention in the report to councillors of the sum of more than £46m a year that is collected in tolls - much more than it costs to operate and maintain the tunnels. It is high time this unfair tax on business and families was scrapped."
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