DPP Lawmaker Chiou Yi-ying (邱議瑩) yesterday questioned the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' (MOTC, 交通部) plan to increase its annual budgeted income from traffic tickets during a press conference at the Legislative Yuan.
Chiou displayed graphics that showed that the budgeted income from all the traffic tickets for last year was NT$8 billion and NT$18,99 billion for this year. For next year, the budget has been set at NT$38,97. Chiou said that the information came from the central government's annual budget proposals for the fiscal years of 2001, 2002 and 2003, which are all annual proposals reviewed and passed by her colleagues.
"If I see it correctly, the budget for next year will become a burden for our police officers since they will have to try their best to issue as many tickets as possible to motorists. In other words, the MOTC has predicted that the total income from all traffic tickets next year will be this amount. It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?" Chiou said.
She said that it is right to fine those who don't respect other people's safety or their own when they drive. But, she feels that by increasing the fines and by issuing more tickets, the authorities were supposed to use the money to reduce traffic accidents by improving the quality of road constructions, or to educate people to follow traffic laws. "I didn't see that happen," she said.
"I have a question for our MOTC officials. Where did the money go?"
In response to Chiou's question, the MOTC's Department of Railways and Highways Section Chief Chen Yen-po (陳彥伯) said that the budget figures could be the product of a misunderstanding.
"We didn't create that budget as a target for our police officers. The increasing budgets are only estimates that seek to address the growing number of drivers and motorcycle riders every year," Chen explained.
Chen added that the number of traffic accident deaths was 7,000 in 2000, but that number had dropped to 5,000 last year.
"That indicates that the money did go where it should have and our traffic conditions are improving," he said. "We did not waste the money or pocket it illegally."
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