Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 September 2013
138. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider granting a registration of taxation exemption for tractors over 30 years old in view of the great distress many elderly and retired farmers are facing at present due to the fact that they are unable to locate log books for their tractors which in many cases are no longer in use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40113/13]
View answer139. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider extending the deadline for registering tractors which will be off the road from 1 October 2013 until the end of December 2013 in view of the difficulties many farmers are facing in locating log books for their tractors and also the huge delays occurring in local tax offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40115/13]
View answer140. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the procedure to be followed in instances where farmers cannot locate the log book for their tractors when attempting to register their vehicle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40116/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 138 to 140, inclusive, together.
I am assuming that, in referring to the requirement to register a tractor, the Questions refer to the provisions of the Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Act 2013, which provides for a three month transition period from the commencement of the Act to allow motorists to bring their motor tax status up to date and to make a declaration of future non-use of a motor vehicle if the vehicle is not going to be in use in a public place.
The relevant provisions of the Act commenced on 1 July 2013 and, accordingly, will be fully in force from 1 October 2013; extensive public notice of the Act's coming into force has been given over the period since 1 July. I do not consider it possible to introduce amending primary legislation to provide for an extension to the deadline or to provide for an exemption for particular categories of vehicles at this late stage, and indeed, it would be difficult to make the necessary technical adjustments to the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) within the short timescale involved. Further, exempting or extending the deadline for one particular category would inevitably lead to similar calls from other groups of road user.
In relation to the issue of lost registration books , motor tax offices have been advised that, in order to facilitate the processing of declarations of non-use, applications should not be rejected on the basis that there is no registration document number on the application form, providing the application is otherwise in order and the vehicle and owner details correspond with the record of the vehicle on the NVDF.
For owners of vehicles recorded on the NVDF who are unable to locate the registration document for the vehicle, an application for a replacement document may be made at any time using Form RF134, which is available from motor tax offices or for download from www.environ.ie. It will not be necessary to do so before 30 September.
However, a registration book will be required, along with a Notification of Transfer of Vehicle Ownership, prior to the making of a declaration of non-use of a vehicle, in instances where the owner wishing to make the declaration of non-use is not the registered owner of the vehicle.
A registration book may also be requested by the Motor Tax Office in instances where there is no record of the vehicle on the National and Vehicle Driver File (NVDF). The absence of a registration book will not necessarily preclude the updating of the record on the National Vehicle File as a manual pre-NVDF record may be in existence and the vehicle record can be updated on the basis of that information. In such instances, liability for motor tax or the requirement to make a declaration of non-use of a vehicle will only arise from the date of updating of the vehicle record.
Vehicle owners should contact their local motor tax office for guidance in relation to their own particular circumstance s .
Finally, in relation to vehicles that are no longer in use, it should be noted that the facility to make a declaration of non-use, where a vehicle is temporarily not in use in a public place, is to avoid arrears of motor tax when the vehicle is being put back on the road. If the owner of the vehicle will not be put ting it on the road in the future , he or she need take no action in respect of the new procedures being put in place as no tax liability arises.
