Independent MP Eirini Charalambidou disagreed, questioning what message the extension sends to those who fulfilled their obligation on time. There should be no relaxations or manoeuvres, she argued.
The plenary session of the House of Representatives unanimously approved an urgent bill, following the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Communications and Works, granting an extension for the renewal of vehicle road tax licences until 31 March.
The proposer of the bill, Committee Chairman and DIKO MP Alekos Tryfonides, recalled that yesterday, the final day for renewals, a serious technical problem occurred in the Department of Road Transport (TOM) system. He said the extension is necessary to protect citizens who were unable to renew their licences due to the malfunction.
The bill includes a provision for retroactive effect from 11 March, the date on which the deadline expired under the existing law. This will allow the Department of Road Transport to refund money to citizens who renewed their road tax licences from midnight on 12 March until the publication of the new law, including both the fine and the additional surcharge they had paid.
Independent MP Eirini Charalambidou expressed disagreement, asking what message the extension sends to citizens who met their obligations responsibly and on time. She argued that there should be no leniency or procedural manoeuvres.
Stavros Papadouris, leader of the Green Party, pointed out that the system itself had provided a timeframe and those who waited until the final day were still within the permitted period and should not be characterised as “last-minute”. He stressed that the system malfunctioned, and citizens should not be penalised because of it.
Zacharias Koulias of DIKO said that precisely because of the technical problem, an extension should be granted, since the system did not function as it should have.
Christos Orfanides, also from DIKO, noted that the Department of Road Transport should have monitored the system more closely to avoid such problems.
House Speaker Annita Demetriou said the proposal is positive because it benefits citizens, adding that explanations must also be sought from the Ministry of Transport regarding the problems with the Department of Road Transport’s system.