Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A number of issues should be borne in mind. At the end of last year, 307,849 goods vehicles were registered for tax in Ireland but only 9,500 of these were heavier than 12 tonnes. This charge will only apply to approximately 3% of Irish registered goods vehicles, therefore, although that is still a significant number. Britain has decided to introduce a relatively old-fashioned and time based system whereby out-of-state hauliers purchase tags on a daily basis. Most countries are opting for a distance based system, with some using GPS to measure distances travelled. We have to decide which option we want to take. The countries which have introduced charges generally have a considerable amount of through traffic, such as Austria. These countries want to capture revenue from hauliers passing through. That issue does not really arise for us because most hauliers in Ireland are delivering here. Furthermore, under European law we cannot levy tolls and road charges at the same time. With two minor exceptions, there are no tolls in the United Kingdom but Ireland levies tolls. That must also be addressed.

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