Rain of hikes in traffic fines: Increased 3.5 times

While millions of workers and retirees are unable to receive raises under high inflation, the economic administration has burdened the public with new taxes as well as traffic fines.

According to a report by Havva Gümüşkaya from Birgün; data from the General Directorate of Security Traffic Department shows that 13.4 million traffic fines were issued in the first six months of the year. In June alone, 2 million 357 thousand traffic fines were applied. In the Gendarmerie region, a total of 961 thousand 253 traffic fines were issued in the first six months of 2024. The monetary value of the traffic fines issued by the Gendarmerie amounted to 2 billion 698 million 27 thousand TL.

TRAFFIC FINE REVENUE INCREASED 3.5 TIMES

Parallel to the number of fines issued, the Treasury's traffic fine revenue also skyrocketed. The Treasury recorded 14 billion 596 million TL in revenue under the name of traffic fines in the January-May period. 70 percent of the budget target, which was set at 20 billion 528 million TL at the beginning of the year for the traffic fines item, was collected in the January-May period.

The Treasury, which recorded 4 billion 212 million TL in revenue under the name of traffic fines in the January-May period of 2023, saw its traffic fine revenue increase by approximately 3.5 times in one year.

MONETARY FINES SKYROCKETED

Not only traffic fines but other monetary fines have also turned into a source of revenue that the state cannot give up. Monetary fines, collected under four separate headings as judicial, administrative, tax, and other fines, reached 48 billion TL in the January-May period.

Tax fines accounted for 51 percent and administrative fines for 44 percent of the monetary fines, which have occupied an important place in central government budget revenues in recent years.

While 12.6 billion TL in monetary fines were collected in the same period last year, 60.5 billion TL was collected in all of 2023. In other words, 79 percent of the total monetary fine revenue collected throughout last year entered the Treasury's coffers in the first five months of this year.

At the beginning of 2024, a 58.46 percent increase was applied to taxes, fees, and fines based on the revaluation rate. As of January, the fine for running a red light rose to 1,506 TL, and the fine for illegal parking rose to 690.89 TL. The fine for exceeding the speed limit by 10 to 30 percent rose to 1,506 TL, and the fine for exceeding it by more than 50 percent rose to 6,439 TL. The fine for driving under the influence of alcohol ranged between 6,439 TL and 12,977 TL. The fine for talking on a mobile phone while driving became 1,510 TL.

The revaluation rate for 2025 will be determined with the announcement of the October inflation figures.

News Source: 12punto