New road fees under ICCC microscope

The National Business

THE Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) has taken the Road Traffic Authority (RTA) to court over noncompliance of ICCC’s statutory notice.
On the 7th of this month the ICCC filed court proceedings against RTA for breaching Section 128 of the ICCC Act, according to an ICCC statement.
ICCC commissioner and chief executive Paulus Ain said on May 31 last year the authority had released a public notice announcing new road traffic fees and that they would come into effect on June 1 last year.
He said the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission was concerned about:

  • The new fees and charges with regards to the financial impact on commuters and vehicle owners;
  • the authority’s lack of meaningful consultation with their stakeholders, including ICCC, before the implementation of those fees and charges; and
  • The fact that the new fees and charges were excessive and would be a burden to the majority of the commuters and vehicle owners.

Ain said the commission received complaints from the public about the sudden increase in fees and charges.
“The ICCC decided to look into these complaints and concerns by consulting with RTA,” he said.
“The purpose of ICCC’s inquiry into RTA was to establish how they (RTA) came about with the calculation of these excessive fees and charges, and review these calculations to determine whether the calculations were accurate and reasonable.
“If ICCC reviews the calculations and determines that it is unreasonable, then we intend to liaise with RTA to stop the implementation of these fees and charges and collectively review calculation of these fees and charges.”