Independent TD Mattie McGrath has re-iterated his previous calls on the Government to introduce a pay as you go and monthly payment options for motor tax as the Government plans to introduce charges for off the road vehicles.

Deputy McGrath has claimed that the main reason for vehicles being taken off the road is that the vehicle owners can simply not afford the rising levels of motor tax and fuel costs, especially in the haulage industry and that it is not realistic to expect vehicle owners to declare their intention of taking their vehicle off the road in advance.

The Ministers plans are totally out of touch with the reality of the situation in the current climate especially for those who use the road for business purposes such as road hauliers who are expected to pay 2500 and more to tax their lorries, despite only having their Lorries on the road once or twice a week due to the fall in business. They do not know months in advance whether their vehicle will be on or off the road in the coming months, they can only hope that they will have enough work to keep their vehicle on the road.

These are honest hard working people who always pay their dues but who simply cannot meet the costs. Some are being forced to take a chance and drive their Lorries without tax in order to get work so that they might be able to eventually meet their payments and put food on the table. If they refuse business because they cannot afford their tax, they will be in a much worse position with no chance of recovery because many of them are self-employed and will not receive any assistance from social welfare. Said McGrath

Putting an extra charge on those who have taken their vehicles off the road because they simply cannot afford motor tax is just another stealth tax coming from the Minister for the Environment. If the taxation system was a bit more flexible, people might have a better chance.

If the Minister really wants to tighten up the loophole then he should examine the reasons why vehicles are being taken off the road and try to offer workable solutions rather than forcing extra costs on those struggling. Motor tax is for use of the road, we cannot introduce a charge for vehicles not on the road. Continued McGrath

Deputy McGrath appealed to the Government to introduce a pay as you go system of motor taxation to allow the hauliers continue trading and to examine the possibility of introducing a monthly payment for other road users to offer some more flexibility.

With online motor taxation, this should be possible and if they those using the road for business purposes such as hauliers can pay as they work, they will not be forced to cut off their nose to spite their face. They want to work and they want to work within the law but they just cant afford to pay huge amounts of tax on their vehicles if they are not getting the work. We need to get real about supporting small businesses. There is no point forcing more businesses out of work simply because they cannot meet pay unrealistic levels of motor tax, when they could be allowed to work and pay as they go. Concluded McGrath