Fines Based on Economic Capacity Seguridad Vial

Bustinduy Advocates for Higher Traffic Fines for High-Income Offenders

Canal Motor

Jueves, 22 de mayo 2025, 10:50

Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and the 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustinduy, has described the proposal by the Sumar Parliamentary Group to increase traffic fines based on offenders' income as "commendable."

This measure, aimed at reducing inequality and applying this principle across all areas of public policy, could transform the penalty system on Spanish roads.

The initiative suggests that fines should be adjusted according to the offender's income level, because "paying a 100-euro fine does not require the same effort from someone earning over 5,000 euros as it does from someone earning the minimum wage." Thus, it proposes a 500% increase in penalties for offenders with an annual gross income exceeding 100,000 euros.

"This is a system that exists in several leading European countries and is based on a general reasoning," the minister emphasized in an interview with RTVE.

The proposal would amend Article 81 of the Traffic Law so that, in the future, penalties are adjusted to the economic capacity of the offender, applying significant increases for higher incomes and offering reductions for lower incomes.

This increase would be applied proportionally, with a 150% increase for offenders whose annual gross income is between 70,000 and 85,000 euros; a 300% increase for those earning between 85,000 and 100,000 euros; and a 500% increase for those with an annual gross income exceeding 100,000 euros.

For the imposition of serious and very serious penalties, this proposal also considers the economic situation of the responsible party. Thus, once the penalty and its degree are determined, the economic capacity of the responsible person would be considered, including the possible reduction of the fine in certain cases.

In this way, individuals who can prove they earn up to 1.5 times the Minimum Interprofessional Wage would be eligible for a 30% reduction; for those earning between 1.5 and 2.5 times the Minimum Interprofessional Wage, the reduction would be 15%.