Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This has been a successful strategy in terms of the choices people make. It was positive from an environmental point of view also. Essentially, this is being changed because it has been successful. It is unfortunate, because people will feel cheated by that change.

Something that is noticeable in any car park - I am prone to noticing this - is the number of cars that predate 2008, because people have not been in a position to upgrade. There are fewer cars on the road and that is part of the reason for the reduction in motor taxation. People have become very price-conscious and many are selling the second car, but they are being caught every way in that respect. If they want to change to a more cost-efficient car they will be paying the VRT. These are sizeable increases at a time when people, particularly those with older cars, are struggling. We are back to the point at which people are starting to talk about the number of kilometres they can get from a litre of petrol. Everyone has become very conscious of the cost of travelling to work and often they limit their journeys because of the cost. The motor tax increase will be a serious imposition on many ordinary families, particularly those with older cars who cannot change the size of the car to reduce the amount of motor tax they will pay.

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