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Fines for OBU Misdemeanours to Be Discussed in Fast-Tracked Procedure
Wednesday 20 January 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, January 20 (TASR) - Parliament decided on Wednesday that a proposal to lower the fine for incorrectly connected onboard units (OBUs) to €120 will be discussed by MPs in a fast-tracked procedure, with an amendment to Electronic Road-Toll Collection Act due to come into effect as of February 1.
At the moment, drivers of lorries weighing more than 3.5 tonnes are required to pay €1,655 for any violation of the Road-Toll Act. The amendment, which was drawn up by the Transport Ministry, aims to lower the fine for misdemeanours in cases in which drivers fail to enter data into an OBU, enter information that is incomplete or false, or fail to provide access to the data to the road-toll administrator.
The amendment also removes the obligation to pay tolls for police and emergency service vehicles.
A heated debate accompanied the debate on the operation of and changes to the electronic road-toll system. According to the Opposition, Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny (a Smer-SD nominee) has damaged the business environment by his decisions and his failure to address the resulting problems in time.
"The hauliers have shown people that it's not demands or any arguments but a pile of dung dumped in front of the Government Office that makes you react," said SDKU-DS MP Stefan Kuzma.
"A pile of dung was made by you four years ago because you didn't find the courage to launch a road-toll system," Vazny fired back.
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