Motor Tax stole a week from me....

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118319916#Comment_118319916

I don't know what you're getting at to be honest.

I'm saying that the system should change and tax insurance and NCT , which is already linked to the Car registration should be the driver (see what I did there) for catching people who do not pay through computer systems and not gardai standing at checkpoints reading discs.

Taking out an entire system to process and issue discs is bound to save money. That's not a guess it's simple logic. Then the department would only need to contact people who have not paid.

You stated that garda cars are not equipped enough but I have said that they're not really required as they should be tackling more serious crimes and road safety issues than motor tax.

As for your what goes on in other countries comment, again strange as we should look to best practices in other countries to adopt and adapt what works. I don't see the problem with it.

RandomViewer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321070#Comment_118321070

Checkpoints checking for tax,NCT, insurance along with increasing compliance are a useful way for the Gardai to be seen policing without getting too many peoples backs up, the guard gets a good whiff of the inside of the car when you lower the window so it's a handy way to catch the random drug/drink driver.

Problem with any new system in this country is some crony will have to get a bailout and the system will likely be obsolete or a donkey to use,

stopthevoting

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118320016#Comment_118320016

"Does anyone know how long it takes to get a new licence? I’m hoping to travel abroad in January (COVID restrictions permitting) and will be hiring a car, so I can’t afford to be without a current licence."

For me, the timeline of my last licence was as follows: Old licence was valid until 29/01/2018. Applied on 30/01/18. Issue date of new licence was 30/01/18. New licence sent with a cover letter dated 02/02/18, which arrived by post on 07/02/18.

Timeline of a licence for a family member was: Old licence was valid until 15/10/2018. Applied on 09/10/18. Issue date of new licence was 09/10/18. New licence sent with a cover letter dated 12/10/18, which arrived by post on 17/10/18.

So before Covid times it took over a week to arrive. I don't know how long it takes now.

I had no plans for travelling abroad so I wasn't worried about not having my licence in my possession. But if I knew I needed it abroad I would have made sure to apply in good time. A few days or weeks overlap over the ten-year lifespan is better than taking the risk of it not arriving in time.

And there are 3 bank holidays in between, and a very busy period for the post office.

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321857#Comment_118321857

Again this is a dated mindset in my opinion.

First of all there are hardly any checkpoints of any description. Before Covid I'd only come across one checkpoint in about 10 years. That changed with Covid where there were plenty of checkpoints to check people's movements and it worked. They didn't bother checking tax NCT etc.

This proves that checkpoints can be done and give a sense of policing.

Secondly as random breath checks are now legal they don't need a reason to check you or to use pretense of checking tax to get window wound down and smell the car.

Just set up random checkpoints and check people with breathalyzers. Simple, done in 30 seconds and I can't imagine any compliant driver would have an issue with it so they don't have to worry about getting people's backs up.

There should be more of them imho as people driving intoxicated is a bigger issue and far more dangerous than people having valid discs in their windows.

irelandrover

You could easily move tax and NCT to an online based system. Every car is already registered to someone. When they tax is due then they get a reminder. It should be very very obvious which cars do not have tax and an NCT. It is the way it works in the Netherlands. If my car does not have tax or an NCT then I get a fine in the post. There is no possible way to get away without having them.

abff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321870#Comment_118321870

Thanks. I decided to go online yesterday to renew my licence. I was told I had to have a MyGovID account, so I registered for this. It asked for my licence details so that I could register straight away, but my licence was issued before the new system came into force, so I had to ask for a PIN to be posted to me. Hopefully, this will arrive before Christmas.

Whether I actually manage to get away in January remains to be seen.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118324038#Comment_118324038

'Every car is registered to someone '

Yes it is, but there is no requirement to register your car in person with identification and proof of address.

which is why there are thousands of cars registered to fictitious people and addresses.

Effects

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118324038#Comment_118324038

Isn't tax already online? I haven't visited a tax office in over a decade myself.

StupidLikeAFox

If you wanted to be really efficient you could expand the remit of the go safe vans to do a tax/insurance/nct check as well as speed

ebbsy

Remember AH in the good ould days ????

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118326298#Comment_118326298

Yes but they still send out discs, and there is just no need which is what is being discussed.

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118326239#Comment_118326239

Any proof to back this up about fictitious addresses and names?

How would they get the vehicles insured then? As any insurance company I deal with ask for proof of address.

Therefore if the system was fed into by insurance companies then you could have a system that captures all cars that are uninsured , not taxed or registered correctly without need for any discs or Gardai checking windscreens.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118330194#Comment_118330194

Only the proof that I see it on a daily basis.

do you think the people that register their car to fictitious names and addresses are law abiding citizens who care about insurance.

And the insurance company asks you for proof of address? Never happens to me. Neither does your car have to be registered to the address you insure it to.

do you think every car in the country is registered correctly?

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118330187#Comment_118330187

Not the original subject. And only a few people have ventured an opinion. If tax discs was the subject of widespread public objection, or even concern, there would be plenty of online discussion. Maybe there is in the Motoring forum, I haven't looked. As I said a solution for a problem that does not exist.

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118330888#Comment_118330888

It's not about public objection or problems. That's not how you achieve progress. Wait till people object then make a change.

The point is efficiencies and improvements. Technology exists now to make tax discs redundant and it would also be more efficient for Gardai to take the duty off them as there would be no need to check cars on roads as the system will know that the car is not taxed.

The approach you take is just stifling innovation and different thinking.

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118330294#Comment_118330294

So now it's all anecdotal. What proof do you see unless it's in your line of work?

People who are commiting fraud as you describe would be a very very small minority.

Either way in the last two years I have changed car insurance and I had to verify identity and address.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118331777#Comment_118331777

It is in my line of work.

And if you're hit by a uninsured car registered to a fictitious name and address, you won't care how much in the 'minority ' they are. Or if you own a petrol station and one of these cars fills up and drives off without payment, you won't care how much of a minority it is. Etc etc, you get the gist.

It makes sense to have people register their car in person with proof of address and identification, I don't know why it doesn't happen.

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118332445#Comment_118332445

Ok, but I still don't see how having a disc in the window will change anything that you are talking about but I still believe that the vast majority of people have legit cars on the road fully insured and pay for their petrol

RandomViewer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118326426#Comment_118326426

Subcontracting out to the rest home for retired guards, not happening