2023-11-09 06:29:00
When a parking fine arrives in the mailbox, the challenge becomes a path of the cross for Belgian motorists in their rights. Sometimes going to court.
But obviously, not everyone is equal before the law. A quantity of foreign drivers indeed slip through the cracks of parking.brussels, we learn following an inquiry by MP Marc Loewenstein (Défi).
Fraudsters registered abroad: Saint-Josse resumes “sabotage” operations to immobilize cars
“For 2021, the amount of missing revenue, late in collection, linked to fees relating to vehicles registered abroad was €4,652,964.33 (7.67% of total revenue). In 2022, this amount was €6,153,981.71 (12.21% of total revenue),” informs Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen).
An increasing shortfall. Until October, the 2023 bill actually amounts to almost 6.7 million euros.
Waiting for a European response…
According to the Brussels minister, “parking.brussels’ resources for collecting fees linked to foreign plates are unfortunately very limited. Unlike road fines, there is no European directive allowing simplified recovery of these fees because they are civil and not criminal in nature.” France and the Netherlands are exceptions: bilateral agreements allow Brussels to easily claim its fines. But for other countries, it’s the cross and the banner.
In Brussels, 54.5% of households do not have a car… with huge differences depending on the municipality: here are the details by locality (INFOGRAPHIC)
“As long as a directive on the recovery of civil debts is not adopted and then transposed into our law, it will always be difficult for the Agency to carry out this type of recovery. In the meantime, the continuation of agreements with third countries whose purpose is access to the DIV is obviously desirable.”
“Impunity” and “injustice”
MP Loewenstein denounces, in the current state of things, a “feeling of impunity” for non-Belgians and an “injustice” for Belgians. “This problem is not new. Unfortunately, some seem quicker to improve the means of control via scan-cars than to put in place a fairer collection system affecting all those liable.”
Verbalized by parking.brussels, a Schaerbeek resident contests, ends up in court… and wins his case for lack of registered mail: “A victory”
Note that the commune of Saint-Josse, particularly affected by the phenomenon, has reiterated its “sabotage” operations on foreign vehicles. “It’s a problem that’s getting worse. More and more people decide to purchase a vehicle abroad and drive it in Belgium… They thus avoid the Lez, taxes, technical inspections,” denounced alderman Philippe Boïketé (PS) last year.
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