Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 September 2020
223. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Transport his plans to review the requirement for an email address for a person to renew his or her motor tax online; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23827/20]
View answerMotor Tax services are provided through both online and offline channels. In practical terms, motorists who use my Departments online service at www.motortax.ie to pay motor tax receive their tax reminder notice through electronic means, rather than a posted notice, thereby completing the overall transaction electronically. Customers who wish to remain with the paper based system can still do so, and continue to tax through the post or by personal appearance at motor tax offices.
Departments in line with eGovernment objectives are required to identify opportunities which will optimise online service availability for customers and at the same time deliver efficiencies to the Exchequer. Traditionally approx 4.5m motortax reminder notices were issued by post, at significant cost to the State. By fully integrating this process with those vehicles that are taxed online, all such notices now issue by email.
Moreover, the mandatory introduction of the EU Payments Services Directive 2 (PSD2) will require Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) to be used for all electronic transactions. The Directive will have implications for how service providers handle online transactions. The requirement ensures that electronic payments are performed with multi-factor authentication, to increase the security of electronic payments. This requires all online service providers to capture additional transaction information (including e-mail address) and send to the cardholder’s bank. The cardholder’s banks will use this data to verify the cardholder. The aim of the Directive is to reduce online fraud and increase cardholder confidence in using online services. The use of the email entered on the site, in conjunction with other transaction data, will help in making the transaction processes as seamless as possible, and remove or reduce any extra layer of friction at the payment stage.
On a broader level, the COVID-19 crisis has also highlighted the need for digital government services and the demand on existing services. In this regard, the electronic solution has supported the collection of motor tax, enabled existing services to function as normal, and reduced the need for motor tax renewal forms to be printed and issued manually from our offices.
My Department have no plans at this time to review the requirement of an email address when taxing online.
