Our View: Shame on licence cheats

There's always someone willing to cheat the system.
At school, there are some children who copy other people's work. In the sporting arena, there are athletes and players looking to get an unfair advantage over their opponents. Others lie on their CVs and in the workplace.
But who would've thought people would scam the transport authorities over annual vehicle licensing fees?
Yesterday's front-page article revealed that 88 Bay motorists have been registering their personal vehicles as ambulances - and as a result have only been paying about $60 a year instead of the $287 most of the population has to pay.
This month a new law came into effect and the culprits, who are being identified, could face fines of $1000 unless they correctly register their vehicles.
The problem is a nationwide one. The Bay has 14 St John ambulances and one private ambulance. It is only fair operators of non-commercial ambulances get hefty discounts because of the humanitarian work they do.
It would be fair to say few people like paying vehicle licensing fees. Forking out nearly $300 a year is another bill many Bay people can do without.
Payment for various vehicle categories differs but it is structured so everyone pays their fair share.
The bulk of car licensing fees from the more than four million registered vehicles in this country goes to ACC to essentially insure the general population against accidents.
The good news is the ambulance cheats will be made to follow the rules now but it remains unclear just how much they have gained over the years.
Transport officials say these motorists are ripping the rest of us off. The AA describes their actions as a rort. They're right.
The cheats may not have broken any law until this month but they should be ashamed of themselves. One can only presume if they are injured in a road crash they would be only too happy to take the same ACC payments as others who have paid their dues.
Any cheats who fail to register their vehicle correctly from here on must be prosecuted and where possible named in the public arena.