The life of Portuguese motorists is increasingly difficult. Hard to read man. Expensive cars, expensive fuel, expensive highways and… fines and fines consistent with this apparent luxury — no… it's not a luxury, it's a necessity — what owning a car in Portugal has become. Did I forget something?
Well, we have now learned that the State plans, in 2021, to increase revenue (among other measures) through fines and fines. In other words, be prepared to witness an increase in the authorities' “zeal” in monitoring the behavior of motorists.
Is this increase for 2021 fair? I don't discuss this issue. But the amounts charged for fines and fines whose gravity does not correspond to the impact they have on the offenders' lives seem disproportionate to me.
It doesn't cost the same at all
Assuming that road fines and fines have a preventive purpose related to non-compliance with certain regulations and that their pecuniary value is the deterrent, it will be peaceful to state that the deterrent effect is greater or lesser, according to the agent's income .Subscribe to our newsletter
Therefore, paying 120 euros fine for speeding, or more than 120 euros fine for improper parking (offence, towing and deposit fee), will not have the same effect on a driver whose annual income is high, as it does on a driver whose annual income is low.
In other words, there are drivers whose payment of a speeding fine (for example) may represent a decisive dent in the family budget, while in others it will have no effect (neither pecuniary nor deterrent).
Progressivity in fines and fines
In Switzerland and Finland, for example, traffic fines are calculated on the basis of declared income.
About two years ago, a driver was fined 54,000 euros for driving at 105 km/h in a place where the maximum speed was 80 km/h. This driver earned 6.5 million euros a year, and a calculation was made so that the fine would be proportional to his income.
I do not argue that the amounts charged to this incautious Finnish driver serve as a yardstick — establishing this progressiveness requires an in-depth study of the subject. But one thing is certain: in Portugal, infractions, despite having the same value for everyone, do not cost everyone the same.
At a time when the State wants to increase revenue through fines and fines, it might be wise to find fairer ways to do so. In any case, having a car in Portugal is increasingly difficult, and when it comes to charging, almost anything goes.
Sometimes laughing is the best medicine:
