Transport Malta yesterday announced an upward revision of administrative fees for the licensing and registration of vehicles, saying that in some cases fees had been unchanged for years.

The increases were immediately criticised by Joseph Sammut, Labour Party spokesman for transport and maritime affairs.

Transport Malta said it is important to note that the actual road and driving licence fees will remain unchanged and clients applying online will pay no increase in tariffs.

The new fees come into effect on 1 July.

TM said the revision will enable it to be less dependent on government subventions, and will also partly compensate for increases in driving licence card production costs due to added security requirements imposed by EU directives, and also additional security enhancements being made to the annual circulation licence disc, vehicle registration plates and vehicle registration certificates.

The revision, it added, affects primarily those services which are considered non-essential, which include customised number plates and personalised number plates. There is also an increase in the fee for inspections of used cars coming from the EU.

TM said it is facilitating procedures for those who apply online. In line with government policy to promote e-services, there will be no increases in fees where transactions are carried out online, thus making it cheaper for customers to transact online, where the services are available.

In his criticism of the new fees, Dr Sammut said the increases have been announced even as the government and Transport Malta have displayed their lack of coordination in relation to Bisazza Street, Sliema. Taxpayers will be paying dearly for that lack of coordination, he said, including the loss of over 60 parking spaces.

TM also needs to make good for the costs of building a “bridge to nowhere” on the breakwater, which will cost €2.8 million, he added.

Dr Sammut said inflation had risen by 16% since 2004, when the TM fees had last been raised, and wages by only 14%. Taxpayers were paying more for a poor service given with no planning.