Section 42 of the Finance Bill 2008 introduces a new section into the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to provide for accelerated capital allowances in respect of expenditure by companies on certain energy-efficient equipment bought for the purposes of the trade.
The scheme will apply to new equipment and a list of energy-efficient equipment, which will be established and maintained by Sustainable Energy Ireland, will include three classes of technology. The technology classes (and minimum expenditure amounts) are: motors and drives (€1,000), lighting (€3,000) and building energy management systems (€5,000).
From January 1 2008, electric vehicles have been exempt from Vehicle Registration Tax and buyers will also benefit from the linking of motor tax rates to CO2 emissions.