‘Belarusians, Being Descendants Of Guerrillas, Ignore Stupid Laws And Rules’

When people take to the streets, the authorities start paying attentions to certain problems.

Beltekhosmotr declares that the number of vehicles undergoing compulsory annual technical inspection (MOT) is decreasing every year. According to the office, among vehicles that drive in Belarus, up to 50% may not pass the inspection in due time. Activist of the European Belarus civil campaign Pavel Yukhnevich, who works in the automotive industry, comments on the situation:

- The problems arise because there is no mutual understanding between the state and our citizens at all levels. The situation with the compulsory annual inspection is a prime example. 75 percent of people from my circle of friends, and these are professionals associated with the automotive industry, do not undergo the inspection. This is not reasonable, it is quite a lot of money, which goes no one knows where. The inspection itself is not expensive, I mean the procedure, but the toll is quite substantial.

Everyone uses their car differently. Someone drives every day, and someone drives to the countryside on weekends, without using the car for the whole winter. Someone drives every two weeks to visit their mom in another city, or grandmother in the village. Should everyone really pay the same?

There is no flexible system that could allow a person to pay proportionally, as much as they use the car. This would be logical. And we have some kind of a Soviet Union here! Everyone has been equalized, everyone must pay. Well, Belarusians, being the descendants of guerrillas, simply quietly ignore and sit back. Those who drive a little say very simply: “I'd rather pay a fine once, because anyway this amount will be much lower than paying the toll.”

It is clear that about 80 percent of the premium car segment are registered in the name of companies, legal entities and there, no matter whether you like it or not, you should undergo the annual inspection, because the penalty for the lack of inspection for a legal entity is completely different, quite significant. As for ordinary citizens, until there is some kind of flexible approach, according to which the frequency of use of the car will be proportional to the toll, the situation will remain the same. It seems to me that during the time this norm is in effect, the situation has already reached the point where the authorities need to solve something, and even the management of the Beltekhosmotr says that it needs to be changed somehow.

My friends, who nevertheless passed the MOT, say that the procedure has become easier. If before a driver came to the station, and they literally checked every bolt, now if a driver arrived, the deed is done. They are much more loyal to some minor flaws of the car, because the number of people coming for inspection has simply decreased several times.

We are talking about Minsk here. And in the regions, it seems to me, the percentage of people who do not pass technical inspection is even more, because the incomes are different. This amount appears even more significant for the people there.

There once was an idea to include toll in the cost of fuel. Refuel more - pay more. Everything is logical. There is such an option to resolve this issue. Or shift it to the tax authorities. In Russia, for example, there is a tax on the car and its value depends on the engine size and engine power. That is, if you have a Toyota Tundra with a volume of 6 liters - you, relatively speaking, pay 500 rubles of tax per year. And if you have a Lada Vesta, then it will be 150 rubles. Such option seems possible.

In fact, Belarusians are smart people, there are enough experts in this field, you can look at the experience of neighbors, and reach some decision. But the problem is that our state ignores the opinion of its citizens until they take to the streets. They believe that something needs to be done only when people take to the streets.