SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Traffic fines will bring an extra €100 million to the treasury this year because of an 18% hike over the last two years.
The government said in September traffic fines would generate €800 million to spend but based on latest figures from the finance ministry, that figure will now exceed €900 million
In 2023 the government put up fines by 8% hike and that was followed by a 10% increase this year, resulting in a protest from the Council of State.
The administrative body said fines for offences such as speeding, driving through red lights and using mobile phones behind the wheel should be aimed at improving road safety rather than balancing the books.
“The level of the fine should be in relation to the nature and severity of the traffic offence,” the agency said in a statement.
At the time, then-justice minister Dilan Yesilgöz said she was raising the fines in part to avoid the need to cut the budget for the police and public prosecution department, admitting it was “not ideal” as a solution.
If the fines had increased purely to reflect inflation they would have gone up by 6% this year, following an 8.6% rise in 2023.
(DutchNews)
