Income-dependent traffic fines, a good idea for the Netherlands?

Income-dependent traffic fines

Research by Wegenvignetten.nl among 1,250 people shows that 38 percent favor income-dependent traffic fines, while 37 percent reject the idea. The rest (about a quarter) are not so sure yet. This means that the camp in favor of the idea is now the largest group.

Especially men and residents of the east positive

Interestingly, men in the survey are especially enthusiastic: nearly half think it would be fairer to align fines with ability to pay. Among women, that percentage is a third. There are also clear differences regionally. In Overijssel (46 percent) and Drenthe (45 percent) support is above average, while Zeeland, with 27 percent, lags considerably behind. Age seems less decisive: those in their twenties and sixties are among the greatest supporters.

Politics keeps quiet

Looking at the election manifestos, only one party actively supports the idea: Volt. Their program literally states that fines should be issued based on ability to pay, so that the punishment is “appropriate for each individual.” Other parties avoid the subject.

On the contrary, Forum for Democracy (FvD) and BVNL think that fines in the Netherlands are too high and want to reduce them to the European average. The VVD goes the other way and advocates higher penalties for so-called traffic thugs. Parties such as PVV, D66, CDA and GroenLinks-PvdA do not mention the subject at all in their programs.

How do they do it in Switzerland?

The idea of income-based fines is not new. In Switzerland and Finland, the system has existed for years. There, income determines the amount of the “daily fine”: those who earn a lot pay more. The goal is that the penalty affects everyone equally, regardless of income.

The system regularly makes headlines for its extremely high amounts. For example, last summer a Swiss motorist was fined nearly 100,000 euros for driving 27 km/h too fast. The record dates back to 2010, when a Swede in a Mercedes had to pay over 700,000 euros.

Does it really work?

Research from Finland shows that such fines reduce repeat speeding in the short term. After a year, that effect often diminishes again. Yet proponents believe that the principle is fairer: rich drivers also feel the consequence of their behavior. Opponents, on the other hand, fear that the administration becomes cumbersome and that the system is difficult to implement.

Also read: Traffic fines 2025 more expensive: rates listed