South African drivers could be "taxed" for each traffic fine

[Jamie McKane]

South African drivers could be "taxed" for each traffic fine

The Automobile Association (AA) has released a statement regarding the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act's introduction of an Infringement Penalty Levy, arguing that this amounts to charging drivers a tax for receiving a traffic fine.

The act was signed into law in August 2019, introducing the country to a new driving demerit system among other traffic changes. Draft regulations surrounding the act are still to be finalised, however.

 

[Enzo Matrix]

Thank God we have the AA and OUTA

 

[Temujin]

Cos mo money fixes everything

 

[Jopie Fourie]

Wa ha ha ha ha ha.... ain't it bad when the economy collapses

 

[dualmeister]

Since I've only had 1 fine in the last 10 years I really don't care

 

[WorldWarIII]

pushing people closer and closer to absolute wild west. SOme dude gonna have a bad day, going to be stopped by a rude illiterate uneducated overweight and arrogant traffic pork chop and hes just gonna unload on the lot of them with his granddads 38. Personanlly i do endorse the removal of traffic police. we dont need them. we need POLICE POLICE that can fill both rolls

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Thank God we have the AA and OUTA

indeed, if civil society didn't exist,
we would have all sorts of weird laws, like you must not be on the road when the president is driving through your street.
just like Zimbabwe.

 

[deweyzeph]

If there is no easy way to check how many points you've accumulated on your licence then how is a traffic officer going to be able to check if your licence is valid in real time?

 

[The_Librarian]

That's right. Tax the taxis!

I'll just drive like a honest citizen and avoid fines then.

Problem is if a pork chop decide it want a quick payday, and try to solicit a bribe or two...

 

[noxibox]

I'll just drive like a honest citizen and avoid fines then.

Problem is if a pork chop decide it want a quick payday, and try to solicit a bribe or two...

Or gives you a fine that they either profit from by meeting fine issuing quotas or by the fine money coming directly to their department. Whichever case they get a glowing performance review and a fat raise. They know they can issue fines that won't stand up in court because the chances are it will never get that far. Are people going to risk paying double and wading through all that bureaucracy when they claim your vehicle was unlicensed or you were illegally parked?

 

[The_Librarian]

Or gives you a fine that they either profit from by meeting fine issuing quotas or by the fine money coming directly to their department. Whichever case they get a glowing performance review and a fat raise. They know they can issue fines that won't stand up in court because the chances are it will never get that far. Are people going to risk paying double and wading through all that bureaucracy when they claim your vehicle was unlicensed or you were illegally parked?

True. Most of us will just pay. Very few will decide to stick it and go to court, as it is quicker and easier to STFU and pay than waste time in a stuffy courtroom.

 

[system32]

Taxi drivers are exempt from all traffic fines.

There are numerous examples of fines being scrapped in bulk for Taxi operators after they protest.

 

[noxibox]

True. Most of us will just pay. Very few will decide to stick it and go to court, as it is quicker and easier to STFU and pay than waste time in a stuffy courtroom.

Under the old system you didn't necessarily have to go to court. You could write a letter to the traffic department explaining why you believed the fine was issued in error, including any proof you had to back this up. That had the potential to stop the fine. If that failed and they insisted it must go to court if you refuse to pay you could still make your case to the prosecutor in writing. That was another opportunity to kill an erroneous traffic fine. If not and you still failed to pay then you'd end up in court having to make your case before a magistrate. The key thing is that the fine stayed the same and there were no other penalties for exercising your right to challenge a fine. In this new system you're going to be gambling. It even looked like there would be fees to process an objection. It's deliberately set up this way to discourage people from challenging fines. Pay right now and pay only R500 or challenge a fine that really should never have been issued and risk having to pay more than R1000.

 

[Eniigma]

pushing people closer and closer to absolute wild west. SOme dude gonna have a bad day, going to be stopped by a rude illiterate uneducated overweight and arrogant traffic pork chop and hes just gonna unload on the lot of them with his granddads 38. Personanlly i do endorse the removal of traffic police. we dont need them. we need POLICE POLICE that can fill both rolls

Show me on the doll where the traffis office hurt you.

Could not disagree with you more, if anything we need 1000% more traffic police, but not those idiots who sit in the shade and only speed trap. Those should burn in hell, but rather they should focus on moving violations. The idiots doing 60 on the free way in the middle and right hand lanes, those idiots who swerve across three lanes to take an off ramp, the guys failing to use indicators, the $#$%#% taxis stopping whereever they feel like. The taxis using the emergancy lane or turning only lanes to go straight and cut traffic. Basically all the bad, reckless and illegal driving that happens.

Sadly the police police can't even handle their current tasks and those assigned to traffic either sit behind cameras or at intersetions eating their KFC.

 

[system32]

We don't need more traffic laws / fines.
We already have some of the worlds best laws - better than most 1st world countries.
We need enforcement of existing laws.

If none are currently paying fines / etolls, these new AARTO fines won't get paid either.

 

[ThinkCentre]

If you get a fine, go to the traffic cop shop and burn the place down to have your fines removed!

 

[The_Librarian]

We need enforcement of existing laws.

Agreed.

They can make laws till the sun goes down, but if those laws are not enforced, then it's no good.

 

[Gazg]

Piss off..........how much more tax money do you want to rape the SA public for??

 

[R13...]

Compliance is already very low, all this will do is drive it further down.

 

[repitah]

Wouldn't this be a case of another SOE, that has a vested interest in generating as much revenue as possible, in whatever means possible, while somehow running at a loss? Seems like a get-rich-quick scheme for political friends, to create an expensive board of directors, expensive CEOs, expensive buildings and minimal actual value to society.

Also seems like "taxing" the middle class further into oblivion.
Example: A fine of R500 for failing to come to a complete stop is further compounded by the "levy". If the fine was issued in error (and it happens, as it is the enforcers' word against yours and hopefully a dashcam), are you still liable for the levy? Do you have to pay for the appeal (AARTO)?

Are we trying to imitate another country again?

Enforcement is expensive, we get it, but longer term effects of road safety are less losses to both infrastructure and the economy (losing economically active people has a negative effect). Bring on the moving violations enforcement and "fair and equal" enforcement, by actual police (current fines go where? Local municipality?)

Enforcement by fining those more likely to pay seems like tax and not safety.