Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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200. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to an anomaly by which commercial vehicles that are privately taxed by their owners are charged commercial rates on road tolls; if the issue can be rectified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47260/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy in relation to roads.

More specifically, the statutory powers to levy tolls on national roads as well as regional and local roads, to make toll bye-laws and to enter into toll agreements with private investors are vested in TII (for national roads) and each local authority (for regional and local roads) under Part V of the Roads Act 1993 (as amended by the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Roads Act 2007).  Separately the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has responsibility for Motor Tax Policy.

The Deputy will note that tolls in Ireland vary according to type and size of vehicles, and reflect inter alia the impact of their use on the toll road.  They are publicly available on the www.etoll.ie website.  Motor tax rates are set by reference to a range of factors, including not only the class of vehicle but also the specific nature of its use as well either engine size, historically, or CO2 emissions, more recently.  These reflect a wide range of policy considerations and are available on www.housing.ie.

There is no basis for rates to correspond between these two very different regimes of tolls for use and motor taxation and therefore it is incorrect to refer to there being any anomaly between the two.