Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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213. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the steps he will take to restructure commercial vehicle road tax, which is applicable here in line with that which apply in Northern Ireland (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to the impact this will have upon jobs dependant on the sector if same is not addressed immediately [38535/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport has established an Inter-Departmental Working Group on issues relating to the Irish haulage industry which includes representation fr om my Department. The Working Group’s discussions are ongoing at present.

Any structural change to the basis of taxation for commercial vehicles to gross design vehicle weight, including factoring in the number of axles, would need to take account of the lack of correlation between gross design vehicle weight and unladen weight, upon which the taxation system currently in place in the State for these vehicles is based . If it was ultimately decided to change the basis of liability for motor tax for these vehicles, it would be necessary to make amendments to primary legislation and technological modifications to the National Vehicle and Driver File.

Any restructuring would also need to take account of the impacts on other motor tax payers as well as the impact on Exchequer finances.