The MOT Test Boycott: The Traffic Police Increasingly Take the Side of Motorists

The motorists' solidarity campaign is gaining momentum.

The number of cars without the MOT test in Belarus has already exceeded the critical mass.

Against this background, Finance Minister of Belarus Maksim Yermalovich says that no one would abolish the road tax. Moreover, the state intends to tighten control over its payment.

Babruisk has become the city with this problem most acute.

What is the attitude of Belarusian motorists to the initiatives of the authorities? Will they continue to boycott the road tax?

Arseni Chyhir, the candidate of the European Belarus civil campaign for Babruisk-Pervomaisk electoral district No. 79, answers questions of Charter97.org.

- How do your acquaintances treat the idea of collecting road tax together with the MOT test? Do they participate in the boycott campaign de facto declared by Belarusian motorists?

- I have a great number of friends, motorists, who support this boycott. Even those of them, who can pay the tax, do not pass the test, thus expressing their protest against the state policy.

When the traffic police stop them and try to issue a fine, they point to an absurd nature of the tax and openly express their dissatisfaction.

There has recently been a story when my colleague was issued a fine. He was very emotional to express his attitude. We do not know how money raised on this unfair tax is spent, while the state of roads is awful, which causes repairs of his vehicle.

My colleague has a grandfather. Once a year he takes something to the country house and then takes it back in spring. It's the only time when he drives. He resents why his grandfather must pay a huge amount of money if he uses a car twice a year.

Therefore, this question is now very acute. People try to consolidate, unite, support each other. At least, the general protest mood because of technical inspection and the road tax is observed.

- You told us about your friends and acquaintances. What did strangers say at your signature collection and agitation pickets?

- Of course, when people approach, they start telling about the most painful topics. One of them is the road tax.

However, many people share their vision of how to solve this issue. The most popular opinion is to include the road tax in the price of fuel. It makes sense. Whoever uses a car more pays more, and vice versa.

Besides, everybody pays attention to the non-transparency of the tax collection. We do not know how this money is used. The quality of roads, which directly depends on the road tax, remains wanting. Not to mention some courtyard areas, even urban roads and highways have sections in a poor state.

It has long been known, but recently a long-distance trucker told me a story. He was transit to Europe through the national highway. There is such a rut that inexperienced drivers may get into an accident risking their and someone else's lives.

- What is a solution to this road tax problem?

- I believe there should be a comprehensive approach. There is no universal recipe here. First of all, to tie the road tax to the cost of fuel.

Secondly, we should strengthen public control over the spending of this (and not only this) tax. The mechanism of its spending should be as transparent as possible. Everyone should be able to access the information portal and find out how the money collected from motorists is spent.

Only then there will be no general dissatisfaction with this tax. People will see that this money is not spent on palaces, next residences and so on.

- But Prime Minister Siarhei Rumas proposed an opposite measure: to strengthen control not over officials responsible for the quality of roads, but over motorists who boycott the tax using trap cameras, etc. At the same time, the authorities want to collect more than 300 million rubles from motorists next year. What can this approach lead to?

- I think this will only increase people's dissatisfaction and desire to boycott the initiative of the authorities. And even these drivers who still pay the road tax will join the mass protest campaign.

Now some traffic police officers "take the side" of motorists. After stopping the car without the MOT test, they do not fine, because they are car owners as well, and they are also subject to this unfair tax.

I think that the number of such traffic police officers will increase, and motorists will use more sophisticated methods to avoid paying the road tax. As a result, the boycott campaign will become large-scale, and the discontent of citizens will only grow. The budget will again miss the money it could have received by the introduction of a more reasonable method.

- Since the beginning of the last century, there has been a belief that the car makes a person freer. In 2011, Belarusian motorists showed how easily they can punish the authorities by holding a successful action "Stop Petrol". During the Euromaidan, Ukrainian motorists were at the forefront of protests, having organized the mobile "Automaidan"... Can our motorists show an example of how to be free people?

- I wish it to be so. I would like people to be united, regardless of which categories of citizens are being harassed by the state.

The authorities understand that the motorists' solidarity has great potential and that is why they try to divide them.

Therefore, I would like to urge all Belarusians in general, and drivers in particular, to unite in protecting their rights, to support the activities of other groups of citizens who show their desire to be free people.

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