Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has indicated changes to the specifications for wheelchair-accessible taxis. Any time we hear this, it means it will cost more. The Minister of State should discuss the VRT exemption proposal with the Minister for Finance. Extra costs have been put on the whole industry.

Even now, anyone getting into the industry must have a car that is one to three years old, and then must change the car after nine years. There are huge costs and this specification will add more costs. While I accept the argument that we need a proper fleet that is wheelchair accessible, there must be a way of making it viable for people to do it.

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