Payment of Fines by Instalments

Parliamentary Question by Mr Leon Perera:

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) which government agencies currently allow for the payment of fines by instalment; (b) what proportion of fines in the past three years have been paid via instalment for these agencies; and (c) how is the information about the availability of instalment options made known to those receiving fines.

Parliamentary Reply by Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for Finance Mr Heng Swee Keat:

As a default, fines are collected in full to reflect their intent of deterring and correcting errant behaviour. Thus, agencies generally do not offer the option to pay fines by instalment upfront.

An offender may appeal to agencies for a deadline extension to pay the fine, or for an instalment plan, on the grounds of financial difficulty. Agencies will exercise judgment on whether to grant the appeal, taking into consideration the relevant provisions of the law, the offender’s means to make payments, the size of the fine, and the nature and severity of the offence, among other factors. 

As the administration of fines is decentralised and under the purview of respective Accounting Officers, MOF does not have the figures requested by the Member. If the Member has a specific agency or type of fine in mind, he may wish to file a Parliamentary Question to the relevant Ministry to obtain the necessary information.