Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 November 2004
310 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his attention has been drawn to the increase in charges for inspection of taxi meters by the legal metrology office of the National Standards Authority of Ireland; the details of same; the amount collected in 2003 and the amount estimated to be collected in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31023/04]
View answer311 Mr. Lowry asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason the cost to have a taximeter calibrated has risen by 134% over the past two years; the expected revenue generation from this increase; if he will abolish this stealth tax immediately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31332/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 311 together.
The legal metrology service of the National Standards Authority of Ireland implements the provisions of the Metrology Acts 1980 to 1998. One of the objectives of the legislation is to ensure fair trade and consumer protection by checking the accuracy of measuring instruments used in trade throughout the economy. The law imposes obligations on traders to ensure that the measuring instruments they use in trade are of an approved type and have been verified by the legal metrology service.
Enforcement of metrology law is both a personnel and equipment intensive operation. However, failure to undertake this responsibility to an adequate technical level, as required by law, exposes consumers and traders to unfair competition, misleading trading practices and potential fraud.
Section 4 of the Metrology Act 1996, as amended, provides that the National Standards Authority of Ireland may with the consent of the Minister charge fees for, inter alia, verification services. When recently considering the basis for a fee increase, the board of the authority was of the view that the fee set should be such as to fully recover the costs associated with the verification process. These costs have not been fully recovered in previous years. To enable full cost recovery, the board proposed an increase in the verification fee for taxi meters from €32 to €75, excluding VAT, and this increase was consented to.
Verification of taxi meters is required upon initial installation, following repair-adjustment or the installation of a revised schedule of taxi fares. As a result, the number of taxi meters submitted for verification varies from year to year. The revenue from taxi meter verification in 2003 was €203,000 while that for 2004 is estimated at €160,000. Comparisons of revenue generated are not a reliable yardstick as the number of taxis requiring verification in any one year can vary significantly. However, if all licensed taxis were verified, the additional revenue generated by this increase would be €559,000.
