June 23, 2026 — 5:00amA cap on tolls for Sydney motorists will be cut to $50 a week for 12 months as part of a suite of targeted cost-of-living measures to be unveiled by the Minns government in its final budget before next year’s NSW election.Dropping the weekly cap on tolls temporarily from $60 to $50 from July 6 will be one of the centrepieces focused on transport in the budget on Tuesday.A promised scrapping of administration charges on toll notices as part of a deal with private motorway operators will also come into effect next month. The fee on a toll notice has been $10, but doubled to $20 if not paid within 55 days.The temporary cut to the weekly toll cap will be among targeted cost-of-living measures in the state budget.Michael HowardAhead of Labor’s final budget before the March election, the Herald can reveal the government will report that employee expenses increased by 6.2 per cent per annum in the three years since the election.However, budget documents seen by the Herald show that despite the removal of the public sector wages cap, the growth in employee expenses compares favourably with the final term of the former Coalition government, when employee expense growth averaged 6.4 per cent.The budget documents say the relatively constrained growth is a result of reforms including a 15 per cent reduction in senior public service executives, cuts to workers’ compensation entitlements and changes to the police insurance scheme.NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and