GEORGE NEWS - A George car owner, Cassandra Puren, is unhappy with the steep increase in her vehicle licence fee.

The renewal fee of her 1400 Honda's licence rose from R342 to R402, an increase of 17,5%. "It is exorbitant and cannot be justified in the light of the current poor economic performance of the country and growing poverty of our citizens," said Puren.

She also complained about the rise in the fee charged by George Municipality for an Application for Supply of Resource Services. "For the period 1 May 2017 to 19 December 2018, which is 19 months, these fees increased by 14,6%. This is also far above the official inflation rate."

Responding to her complaint regarding the vehicle licence fee, Jandré Bakker, spokesperson for the Western Cape department of transport and public works, said the licence fees in the province increased by 4,5% on 1 April 2018. He explained that the fee that Puren paid is made up of the licence fee of R330 (the fees increased from R321 to R330) plus an R72 Natis transaction fee.

"The Natis transaction fee was increased from R42 to R72 on 1 February 2018 by the National Road Traffic Corporation (RTMC), an entity of the national department of transport," he said. This amounts to 41,67%.

A response from the national transport department regarding this steep increase is being awaited.

NT guidelines, actual cost determine municipal fees
Municipal manager Trevor Botha responded to Puren's complaint regarding the application fee for rendering of services. He explained that municipal tariffs are determined as part of the annual budgeting process. 

"Tariffs are guided by the National Treasury (NT). Council uses the NT guideline as well as the actual cost per unit, as is motivated by the relevant department, to deliver a particular service. A perceived high increase in a particular tariff item would in general be tied to a similar increase in the cost of delivering such a service."

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