Fines for drivers using formerly free roads such as the Algarve’s Via do Infante and not paying for the privilege has reached €2.79 million.
There are an estimated two million cases of non-payment of tolls and the Ministry of Finance already has started proceedings in 130,957 cases with threats of siezing property and vehicles if the tolls, fines and interest are not settled in full.
The Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, Paulo Nuncio, said today that "in many cases one vehicle owner has several fines which have not been settled and are in default."
The debts being chased up by Nuncio and his team all are registered against Portuguese registered vehicle owners as the Tax and Customs Authority can only intervene with Portuguese cases.
The responsibility for collecting these debts passed to the Tax and Customs Authority last year and staff now are complaining that the huge number of cases has clogged up the computer system.
Cases are mostly for small amounts with a 40 or 50 cent unpaid toll attracting a fine which is never less than €63.25, plus costs and interest if not paid off.
Non-payers risk having their car taken away and auctioned, or the money simply taken from their bank account.
Nuncio is moving 1,000 new tax inspectors to front line tax inspecting duties leaving a lack of staff in those departments that collect fines from motorists and from people who have been caught and fined for using public transport without a valid ticket.
