On November 4, Minister of Public Security Luong Tam Quang told the National Assembly that drafters of amendments to the Law on Handling Administrative Violations would study measures other than fines, including community service. They must define the work, service-time calculation and application rules.
"We will study the addition of provisions on community service as an alternative to fines and report to the government," the minister said. The provisions could be included in a decree, resolution or report for the National Assembly Standing Committee.
"We will set clear levels of punishment to ensure humanity, deterrence and strictness for each measure," he said.
Community service proposed to strengthen deterrence
Deputy Pham Van Hoa of Dong Thap proposed studying community service instead of fines for some road and waterway traffic violations. He said fines were not always effective, especially for people with low incomes or those unable to pay.
He cited riding without a helmet and carrying too many passengers. In Da Nang, more than 11,000 vehicles among those temporarily held for violations in one year were abandoned by their owners, possibly because they could not pay the fines.
Fines should match the violation
Deputy Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi of Vinh Long said lawmakers should distinguish between raising fines to strengthen deterrence and raising them without considering whether people could comply. Disproportionate fines can burden households, small businesses and residents.
The government should assess the danger of the conduct, the illegal benefit gained and the practical ability to enforce each decision. It should also apply remedial measures, not only collect fines.
The draft law proposes maximum fines of VND 1.5 billion for individuals and VND 3 billion for organizations in fields including supplementary pension insurance, credit ratings, standards, product quality, electronic identification, environmental protection and food safety.
The minister stressed that these are maximum amounts. The government will set specific fines according to the nature, severity, scale and consequences of each violation.
Sources: Dân Trí
