Bro, hold on tight, because from July 1 they've turned everything upside down! I woke up this morning, turned on the coffee, and what do I see? The fine point jumped to 216.25 lei, instead of 202.5 like before. And all because the minimum wage went up to 4,325 lei. Sure, I'm not on minimum wage, but Mioara, who's a cashier at Lidl, will definitely feel it. But let's get back to fines, because it's a real disaster.
Listen up, the penalty classes have changed. Class I, for minor offenses - like parking badly or driving without a seatbelt - is between 432.5 and 648.75 lei. That means if you don't check your signal, you're out almost 650 lei. And now, with the price hikes, it feels even worse. Class II, for using your phone while driving or speeding 21-30 km/h over the limit, is between 865 and 1,081.25 lei. Bro, 1,000 lei for a two-minute thrill! Class III, with 6-8 points, costs you up to 1,730 lei. That's for speeding 31-40 km/h over or an expired ITP. Me, with my 2008 BMW, if I skip the ITP, it costs me as much as a month's car payment. Class IV, for speeding over 50 km/h or drunk driving, is between 1,946 and 4,325 lei. That's already the minimum wage! And Class V, for companies, up to 21,625 lei. Well, that doesn't affect me, since I don't have a company, but Relu, with his Audi, if he doesn't declare the driver, pays as much as a vacation in Antalya.
But it's not just fines, bro. From July 1, other price hikes kicked in too. Gas is approaching 9 lei per liter, diesel 10 lei. That means, for me doing Uber and Bolt, half my earnings go to diesel. And the diesel excise is no longer reduced, and the fuel cap expired. So guess who pays? Us, the ones behind the wheel. And that's not all. For packages from Temu and Shein under 150 euros, a customs fee of 3 euros per category was introduced, plus 25 lei per package. This is a disaster for Mioara, who used to order all sorts of cheap junk. Now, if she buys a t-shirt and a pair of pants, she pays another 6 euros in fees plus 25 lei. Might as well buy from Lidl, boss!
And the food price cap no longer includes processed items. That means oil, flour, everything processed, will get more expensive. Mioara already stares at the receipt like it's the stock market, and now it'll be even worse. Man, I don't know how we'll manage, because the minimum wage goes up, but prices go up even more. It's like they give us a breath of air and then shove our heads underwater.
Now, the good part: if you got a fine, you can pay it within 15 days at half the minimum. That means for Class I, you only pay about 216 lei. But it's still a lot, bro. And the tests for reducing license suspension are no longer done at the Traffic Police, but at DRPCIV. Well, I've never needed that, but Brian, if he ever gets his license, he'll definitely get caught.
Who pays for all this madness? Well, we do, the Romanians. The barons and politicians, they make their budgets, we pay. So, relax, better grab a soda and walk, because it's cheaper. I'm going to check how much diesel I have left in my BMW, because maybe I'll quit Uber and start doing deliveries by bike. What a July 1!
