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Monday, 20 November 2023 - 15:20

Cabinet advised not to raise traffic fines to cover budget gaps

The Council of State advised the government not to increase traffic fines to cover holes in its budget. Traffic fines are intended to improve road safety, not to close budget deficits, the Council said.

The government announced plans to increase traffic fines by 10 percent in the Spring Memorandum, the spring update to the annual budget. Part of the increase (5.7 percent) is annual indexation. The rest is to cover gaps in the budget.

The Council of State “does not believe closing budget deficits is a good reason for increasing traffic fines.” It pointed out that the fine amount must be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the traffic violations, and fine increases must be aimed at achieving that balance. That is not the case here.

In the Netherlands, the amount of fines is not determined by the Cabinet alone. The Cabinet determines the fines for most minor violations, but the (OM) imposes fines for serious crimes. Earlier this year, the OM urged the government to scrap its planned 10 percent increase, warning that some minor traffic fines are now higher than fines for severe crimes.

The Council of State also noted this issue. “The administrative traffic fines are in some cases higher than the criminal fines, while criminal violations are more serious,” the Council said. For example, the administrative fine for driving 30 km/h over the speed limit within city limits is now higher than the criminal fine for driving 31 km/h above the speed limit. “These differences will reduce social support and lead to more objections,” the Council of State said.

Earlier this year, Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz of Justice and Security acknowledged the OM's concerns but said she intended to push through the fine increases. According to her, she either has to increase fines to fill gaps in the Ministry's budget or implement cuts at the police, for example. “This step puts the burden on traffic violators, who can avoid these costs by adhering to traffic rules,” Yeşilgöz said.