Exemption checks

Press, 11 August 1979, Page 6

Exemption checks

PA Wellington The random checking of the validity of motorists’ earless days exemption stickers will be started by the Ministry of Energy within a fortnight. ! Confirming this yesterday, the Secretary of Energy (Mr W. M. Duncan) said the Ministry would check that declarations on the exemption form had been “properly made.” Checks would be made of motorists throughout New Zealand. Mr Duncan said about 200,000 exemption stickers had been issued for the scheme, which came into force on July 30. The Ministry would reserve its judgment on

whether many motorists were “unlawfully” evading the scheme until the results of the checks were known. Informed Government sources said yesterday that the reason the random checking had been ordered was because the Government believed hundreds, if not thousands, of motorists had been “improperly” issued with exemption stickers. The sources said a “good percentage” of those issued with exemptions were believed to have misinterpreted the regulations when filling the application form. They cited confusion which arose over the exemption or otherwise of Post Office workers. Many Post Office em-

ployees had obtained exemption stickers on the mistaken belief that they qualified under a blanket exemption. The Post Office management had since asked those with “unlawful” stickers to return them. The sources said some motorists were also known to have been “straight-out dishonest” in making their declarations. It is believed that the Ministry will ask motorists in the random check to prove that they qualify for the exemption sticker. If this canot be done, the motorist will be asked to remove the sticker or face the possibility of prosecution.