Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 May 2014
132. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many people are not receiving their automatic notification to renew their motor tax from his Department and that this letter contains the PIN required to process their motor tax payment online; the steps being taken to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23467/14]
View answerThere are arrangements in place whereby my Department, through the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) system, remind motorists that motor tax is due through the issue of a motor tax reminder notice, some 3-4 weeks before the due date. These notices are generated automatically and some 400,000 issue at the end of each month. Departments are required to implement measures to secure greater take-up of online services which can also deliver much needed cost savings to the Exchequer. For this reason emphasis has been placed on administrative aspects of the motor tax renewal process where savings can be achieved through more imaginative use of the online motor tax service including the introduction of electronic (email) reminders, which reduce both volumes and cost of paper motor tax renewal reminder notices.
My Department now issues approx 50% (200,000) of such notices each month by email. Only customers who signed up for the electronic service receive their notice via this channel. Motorists who have declined this option, or who last taxed the vehicle at the local Motor Tax Office, continue to receive a motor tax renewal notice in the post. In situations where vehicle owners lose or mislay the PIN which facilitates online taxing, there is an online PIN retrieval facility at www.motortax.ie. The online motor tax service continues to be one of the most successful eGovernment services and the returns for 2014 to date, indicate that 67% of vehicle owners now renew their motor tax online. This represents a very significant increase of 7% for the same period in 2013.
