Why was I charged $35 extra on my speeding ticket for a Victim Fine Surcharge?— LIZ VAN HOORN, TRINITY-BELLWOODS
Most of the money that you shell out for getting caught speeding goes straight to your municipality. (By the way, the idea that speeding ticket revenues enrich the coffers of the local police department is a myth.) But that Victim Fine Surcharge goes into a special kitty at Queen’s Park and is used to fund a range of programs for victims of crime. These include the Victim/Witness Assistance Program and the Victim Support Line, an information line that victims can call to receive, among other things, automatic updates on the status of an imprisoned offender (the helpful information includes “escapes or failures to return from leave”).
And the surcharge doesn’t appear solely on speeding tickets. In fact, it’s added to all fines issued by the province of Ontario. So lead foots aren’t the only ones ponying up: liquor act violators, flagrant polluters and various other miscreants get dinged, too. The amount of the surcharge depends on the fine: anything from $101 to $150 earns a $25 surcharge; fines of more than $1,000 have an extra 25 per cent slapped on. The dollars add up: between April 2005 and April 2006, the surcharge brought in $35.6 million. Sadly, speed trap victims aren’t on the list of approved recipients.
The surcharge, is the Victim Fine Surcharge. It was implemented in the 90′s to pay the victims of criminals. The criminals didnt have any money so they “taxed” the drivers, and anyone who got a ticket.
Personally I havent heard of anyone who has received any funds from this form of taxation.
C.Conway
June 17, 2009 at 8:22 am | by Chris ConwayOTT Legal
Toronto
It would be interesting to see who actually benefits from this tax. If the professionals havent heard about anyone receiving it…who is it going to??
December 30, 2009 at 12:46 pm | by Speeding Ticket Fine