Seniors cannot be exempted from paying vehicle licence fees due to financial hardship, according to Attorney General Mark Pettingill.The Minister had previously said that seniors who couldn’t afford the increase could apply under section 62B of the Motor Car Act, but said yesterday that was not actually the case.“Section 62B was in fact the section being amended in the House, reducing by 50 percent the concession available to qualifying seniors which clearly was taken to mean a ‘full exemption’, when in actuality all seniors will be required to pay 50 percent of licensing fees,” Mr Pettingill said.“To be clear, seniors can no longer apply for a full exemption from paying licence fees under section 62B and are not able to apply for an exemption due to financial hardship.”However he did state that section 62A of the bill allows excerption on the ground of physical disability or limitation.He said that he understands some seniors will be aggrieved by this change but added: “This Government was elected on the promise of putting Bermuda’s financial house in order.“The exemption had been abused by too many for too long and has cost the Government millions of dollars in much needed revenue over the years.”The Motor Car Amendment Bill 2013 was passed in the House of Assembly on March 18, ending a licence fee exception for seniors, put in place in 2007 by the former Government.Instead, seniors are given a 50 percent discount under the legislation. The bill also increased permit fees and licence fees by three percent.The amendment was strongly criticised by the Progressive Labour Party, who said the government was taxing the Island’s seniors rather than cracking down on those abusing the system.