Tax discs to become thing of the past if new law is approved
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Tax discs could become a thing of the past if a new bill from the Department of Transport passes.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan brought the proposal to Cabinet on Tuesday saying that paper tax discs are no longer practical.
Under legislation that has already been introduced, the tax information would be readily available through the registration plate for An Garda Síochána through their devices.
Gardaí would be able to find out immediately whether a car is taxed or stolen as all of this information would be accessible online.
"That kind of requirement to have a disc is not necessary so it is going to be very practical," said Mr Ryan.
The National Vehicle and Driver File Bill was agreed in Cabinet on Tuesday but will take time to draft and to undergo pre-legislative scrutiny so Mr Ryan did not offer a timeframe for the measure to be introduced.
With tax information accessed online and linked to the car's registration, the move should see a decrease in the number of motorists driving without tax using falsified discs.
The legislation will also strengthen GDPR for access to vehicle and driver data and remove end date of declarations of non-use of a motor vehicle.
Modernising the motor tax system and becoming paperless will bring Ireland in line with most other European countries, Mr Ryan added.
Separately, a bill was agreed to facilitate the sharing of road vehicle collisions between gardaí and local authorities.
Currently, road engineering teams in local authorities are unable to view collision data and cannot use it to guide key decisions around road improvements with investment and infrastructure.
The government will legislate to ensure that gardaí can share all accident incident data with the local authorities. Mr Ryan said:
"This builds on the important work we are already undertaking in response to accidents on our roads."
The move comes after a woman in her 30s became the 104th person killed on Irish roads so far this year.
The number of fatalities on the roads is up 15 on the same period in 2023 which was itself the worst year for road deaths in nearly a decade.
The ability to share information has been raised on numerous occasions since it was revealed that information-sharing between the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána with local authorities ceased in 2018 due to data protection concerns.
Mr Ryan said he expects this bill to get through quickly because they want to act fast on road safety as every life lost is one too many.
Among the transport issues raised at Cabinet was the All-Island Strategic Rail Review which is expected to be agreed by the administration in the North within the next fortnight.
The review is significant in signalling an intent to switch to rail, to decarbonise, to reduce gridlock, and to deliver housing solutions, Mr Ryan said.