A proposed surcharge being considered by Justice Secretary Jack Straw, on top of fixed penalty fines and on the spot fines, has been criticised by a leading motoring solicitor.
The £15 Victim Surcharge is currently added to those fines handed down by the Courts, but the proposition being considered by Jack Straw could mean millions of people, including speeding drivers, could now be forced to pay too.
Sean Joyce, a motoring partner at North West law firm Stephensons Solicitors LLP, believes the surcharge would be an unfair added tax on drivers.
He said: “The surcharge was specifically introduced to help improve services for victims of crime at agencies such as Victim Support. Given that Fixed Penalty Notices do not involve the court process, it doesn’t seem fair to impose another levy on people such as speeding drivers and others in this way for what are often ‘victimless crimes’.”
The current fine of £60 would increase to £75 and with three million drivers fined alone in 2008 for speeding, this could boost revenue by millions.
The Victim’s Surcharge was introduced in 2007 and is fixed at a flat rate regardless of the size of the fine, bringing in around £6.6 million currently.
When the surcharge was introduced two years ago, plans then to attach it to Fixed Penalty Notices provoked an outcry from motorists.
The Ministry of Justice has reportedly said no decisions had been made on whether to extend the scheme to fixed penalties or to which offences it would be applied.