Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 January 2013
87. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Finance the reason he confined the granting of the rebate to hauliers and excluded passenger transport operators from the scheme; if he will explain his apparent u-turn on his views expressed previously; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1328/13]
View answer88. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Finance if he has already sought permission from the EU Commission to introduce an excise rebate for hauliers; if so, the case he has put forward to have haulage operators included while excluding passenger transport operators; if the Commission has not already been notified, if he will the consider seeking permission to have passenger transport operators included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1329/13]
View answer90. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Finance that the excise rebate on diesel be passed onto coach and bus operators as well as licensed hauliers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1371/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 87, 88 and 90 together.
The proposal to introduce an auto-diesel excise duty relief for licensed road hauliers that I announced in the Budget is confined to licensed and tax compliant hauliers. However, I have received a number of submissions from, and on behalf of, private coach operators seeking to have this relief extended to them. I will consider these proposals and the level of the rebate in the context of the Finance Bill. It is worth noting that one of key arguments for introducing a rebate for the haulage industry is the fact that a large quantity of fuel purchased by this industry is purchased abroad thus generating no tax revenue for the State. A rebate should encourage hauliers to start purchasing their fuel in Ireland thus offsetting some of the costs involved. Such an argument does not exist for the most part for the coach industry.
The fuel rebate scheme proposed is governed by the terms of Council Directive 2003/96/EC of 27 October 2003 which limits its application to auto diesel used in defined categories of road vehicles.
I will be informing the European Commission of the rebate measure once it is introduced.
