The legislation, which was drafted around a year ago, aims to prevent serious delays in payments for services.
Last October, the transport unions’ federation from Spain, Fenadismer, reported that 65% of carriers’ customers were late with payment for services in August 2020. The average time-to-payment amounted to 85 days, with as many as 72% of “latecomers” significantly exceeding the 90-day payment deadline.
The amendment to the Act on road transport, which introduces sanctions for late payments (i.e. exceeding the 60-day payment deadline), provides for the following fines:
- Fine of €601 to €800: when the price of transport is between €1,000 and €1,500
- Fine of €801 to €1,000: when the price of transport is between €1,501 and €3,000
- Fine of €1,001 to €2,000: when the price of transport is between €3,001 to €4,000
- Fine of €2,001 to €4,000: when the price of transport is between €4,001 and €6,000
- Fine of €4,001 to €6,000: when the price of transport exceeds €6,000
In addition, fines ranging between €6,001 and €18,000 can be issued when the person responsible has already been punished for any other very serious offense in the previous 12 months.
Finally, the amount of the fine may reach €30,000 when it is considered that “the conduct significantly affects the creditor’s capacity and financial solvency, or the maximum legal payment period provided for in the provision has been exceeded by more than 120 days.”
Photo: Jorge Franganillo / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 (image cropped)