It is a legal requirement to pay motor tax if you want to drive your vehicle in a public place in Ireland, but did you know there are certain circumstances that allow you to avoid coughing up the money?
A number of vehicles are deemed to be exempt from the requirement to pay motor tax - however, if they are used in a public place, a current tax disc must be displayed.
Among the vehicles that avoid the payment are:
- Vehicles exempted under the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations, 1994 (SI 353/1994)
- Vehicles that are less than 400kg in weight (unladen) and are adapted and used by people with disabilities. (This includes any cycle with an attachment for propelling it by mechanical power.)
- If your vehicle is temporarily off the road, you also do not have to pay motor tax for that period
Meanwhile, in a number of other circumstances, you can claim a refund of motor tax, including if:
- The vehicle has been scrapped, destroyed or sent permanently out of the State
- The vehicle has been stolen and has not been recovered by the owner
- The vehicle has not been taken out or used in a public place at any time since the issue of the current disc
- The owner of the vehicle has stopped using the vehicle because of illness, injury or other physical disability
- The owner of the vehicle has stopped using the vehicle because they are absent from the country for business or educational purposes
- The owner of the vehicle has stopped using the vehicle because of service overseas with the Defence Forces
If you do not fall into one of the categories above, and you fail to display your tax disc while driving in a public place, it is considered a motoring offence and will result in a €60 fixed-charge fine issued by a traffic warden or a Garda.
