Motorists face new £15 'victims levy'

[wemorgan]

BBC News - Motorists face new £15 'victims levy'

Motorists in England and Wales fined for minor offences face having to pay bigger penalties under a government scheme to compensate victims of crime.

Since 2007, a £15 surcharge has been added to the fines of all people convicted of a crime, to raise money for support services for crime victims.

Now ministers want to extend the scheme to on-the-spot fines and fixed penalty notices for a range of offences.

Normally I'm impassive over such stories but this doesn't seem right to me.

Rather than just increase the standard £60 fine to £75, why not just ensure £15 of the £60 would go direct to victims of crime fund?

Sounds like a less than subtle way to raise revenue.

 

[st4]

Who actually is the victim of the crime of speeding?

The over stressed engine, the tarmac of the m5 who, what? it baffles me, motoring offences, if they dont end in a collision tend not to have victims.

Revenue raiser.

 

[davidjpowell]

Humberside Safety Camera Partnership have already added this to their fees for the speed awareness course. Swines.

Bit peeved after giving them £60 earlier this year, and now having to pay another £75 for my partner.

 

[stevesey]

Who actually is the victim of the crime of speeding?

The over stressed engine, the tarmac of the m5 who, what? it baffles me, motoring offences, if they dont end in a collision tend not to have victims.

A small percentage of speeding incidents will result in accidents involving innocent parties - so there's your victim.

 

[CE230]

Brown's black hole in the economy has to be filled somehow so "Let's hit the motorist again" He must be a physicists dream as nobody else can make money disappear faster than the speed of light.

While we're at it way don't we give billions of pounds to 'Third World Countries' to help them pollute less so they can sell us more cheap tat at a huge mark up.

 

[mw_C32]

Who actually is the victim of the crime of speeding?

The over stressed engine, the tarmac of the m5 who, what? it baffles me, motoring offences, if they dont end in a collision tend not to have victims.

Revenue raiser.

Agreed, also who is the victim when you get a parking fine???

M

 

[Stratman]

While we're at it way don't we give billions of pounds to 'Third World Countries' to help them pollute less so they can sell us more cheap tat at a huge mark up.

Don't forget China and Pakistan, whose populations must be starving after their governments have paid for their nuclear weapons programmes.

 

[davethemus]

While we're at it way don't we give billions of pounds to 'Third World Countries' to help them pollute less so they can sell us more cheap tat at a huge mark up.

to be fair, the third world countries don't see much if any of that huge mark up

 

[rizzer]

This is one of many tax rises on the way

 

[del320]

Am I missing something? Aren't these taxes/fines entirely voluntary?

 

[st4]

Am I missing something - aren't these taxes/fines entirely voluntary?

Not if your caught

 

[del320]

Not if your caught

Does that need a response?

 

[Howard]

They have to find the £100 million we are giving to Yemen for their 'support' from somewhere

 

[peterg1965]

Makes you question the integrity of our democracy in this country. Politicians don't give a hoot about the opinion of the public, aart from once every 4/5 years. This is plain wrong, along with the retention of DNA of innocent people (amoungst other such scandalous behaviour by this Govt.

 

[crankiejohn]

just the motorist again are we the only criminals to pay fines,were already paying for wrecking the ozone layer.

 

[ringway]

Like shooting fish in a barrel and HMG know it.

 

[verytalldave]

The only thing I am surprised at is that anyone's surprised.
We motorists have had around 12 years of been shafted stupid and we should be used to it by now.
I would hate to think how much extra tax a person who drinks, smokes and drives pays over a similar person who doesn't.

 

[stevieb15]

Am I missing something? Aren't these taxes/fines entirely voluntary?

True, but perhaps it would be more socially responsible to put the levy on those who commit criminal acts but get away with a caution i.e. assaulters, thieves, drunks, flashers, criminal damagers, twocers, burglars.
I suppose if we are going to be really extreme the government could just not spend so much!