Motor Tax changes

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the new motor taxation system being introduced in Ireland at the start of July 2008, so I did a little research of my own to see what impact, if any, this will have on me (and my family). I found the answers to most of my questions on the Citizens Information website and for me, it basically boils down to this:

  1. Cars registered before 1 January 2008 will continue to pay motor tax on the basis of engine size.
  2. New cars registered from 1 July 2008 will pay motor tax charges on the basis of seven CO2 emissions.
  3. The CO2 emissions are measured in terms of grammes of Carbon Dioxide emitted per kilometer travelled, or gCO2/km.
  4. There are 7 different bands of emissions, ranging in price from €100 to €2,00.

So for me (and most others I know) nothing changes in the short term and we will continue to pay motor tax based on the older system of engine size, which ironically increased its rates in January 2008. Only when we trade up to a car newer than July 2008 will these changes affect us.


6 thoughts on “Motor Tax changes”

  1. Is it correct to say a car bought in Northern Ireland, say for example a Ford Focus 2006 and is registered for a Irish registration after July1 will be on the new tax system? or will it be the existing tax system?

    I asked a car sells person yesterday and they said it would be on the existing tax system but from listening to the last word yesterday the 19 of june it seemed like it would be on the new tax system….

    hmmm confusing indeed….

  2. I’d imagine that if the car is a new car then it would fall under the new system but if it is a second-hand car, it may fall under the old system. Strictly speaking the website I quoted above states that only “new” cars registered after 1st July 2008 will be taxed via the new system.

    However, this is only my interpretation of the information from the Citizens Information website above (2nd and 3rd paragraphs of Information section). You’d probably have to contact them directly for a definitive answer.

  3. Thank you Mr Mernin for your quick response. I will contact them them and will return my findings.

  4. I heard a representative of SIMI on radio last evening and he definitely said that used imports will come under the new scheme. It makes sense considering that they will have to be registered here after 1 July. So – run off to Northern Ireland for your second hand BMW 520d now!

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