Here in Victoria when you use a car it must be registered.
The registration fee varies depending on type of car but it is about $750 per year.
THis fee covers both tax and third party insurance (injury not damage).
So not having it is the equivalent of no tax or insurance in Ireland. As you can see from the article thousands of motorists are caught flouting this law. The fine is pretty much around the cost of a years registration.
The state can earn up to 50 million in fines of this nature. Not counting the money saved by enforcing the requirement.
Now as Victorias population mirrors Ireland to an extent. If the state equipped the Garda with anpr devices does anyone think the investment would be worthwhile?
They already have the technology in some Garda cars, don't they? Perhaps the system to automatically issue a fine if a vehicle is detected on the street is the only part not in place?