Rates higher than costs: Offices charge too much money

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National average, road traffic authorities’ revenues are 119 percent, above the limit at which revenues and costs are in balance. This is evident from the latest survey of the Federal Financial Administration (EFV) for 2021. The index takes into account the issuance of driving licenses and vehicle identifications, as well as motor vehicle tests in road traffic agencies.

In eight cantons the index value is above the national average. It is highest in the cantons of Ticino, Geneva and Appenzell Innerrhoden. Even though the 100 percent limit cannot be considered absolute: too high values ​​can be interpreted as an indication of a possible imbalance, the EFV wrote.

This is not the first time excessive fees have been discovered

However, the cantons of Zug, Jura and Uri, among others, are below 100 percent. According to the EFV, the conclusion cannot be drawn from this that the fees in these cantons are too low and should be increased.

The EFV already noted that the reimbursements in previous years were higher than the costs. During the Covid-19 pandemic, road traffic authorities’ revenues were lower because fewer vehicles were temporarily offered.

In 2021, more than three-quarters (78 percent) of the costs of public services as a whole were financed through reimbursements, the EFV found. After the pandemic, total fee revenues have increased again, not only in road traffic agencies, but also in the general legal system.

The differences are significant

The bottom line is that the whole thing needs to be brought back into balance: in no canton would total compensation revenues exceed costs. However, the differences are significant. Cantons with low rates – such as Uri and Geneva – finance services with taxpayers’ money or have outsourced services to companies that do not belong to the state sector.

The annually published indicator of the EFV contains tasks with the highest fee income. These were the areas of road traffic and shipping, general legal matters, water supply and wastewater treatment, as well as waste management. (SDA)

Source:Blick