Stealth charges: Increases in hospital charges, motor tax, passport and visa levies and student registration and examination fees have been announced by various Government Departments in the Estimates.
The fee for a standard 10-year passport is increasing from March 1st next by almost a third from €57 to €75.
The cost of a three-year passport for infants (aged up to three years) is rising from €12 to €15, and a five-year passport for those aged 3 to 18 years from €12 to €25.
The emergency fee for passport applications processed outside office hours is up €37 to €100 for adults. The price of a 10-year passport for senior citizens, however, has been cut from €57 to €25.
The restructuring in fees is expected to raise €9.3 million to fund the development of a new "high-tech", secure passport system.
Visa costs are also rising from the same date - a single-journey visa increasing from €25 to €60, a multiple-entry visa €50 to €100 and a transit visa €10 to €25.
In health, the charge for attending hospital accident and emergency departments is increasing by €5 to €45. The nightly in-patient bed charge goes up by an identical amount.
Health insurers, or private patients without insurance, will be charged an extra 15 per cent for a private bed in a public hospital. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said that, although the move would raise an estimated €20 million for services, it was unlikely to lead to any increase in health insurance.
Other adjustments aimed at yielding a further €15 million for health include an increase in the threshold for seeking refunds under the drug payment scheme from €8 to €78.
Motor tax is to increase from 5 per cent on January 1st, translating as a €7-to-€64 rise in the annual fee depending on car size. The annual levy for a 1.4-litre car will increase by €14 to €292.
In education, the third-level student registration fee is increasing by €80 to €750. The fee for Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations goes up €10 to €82 and €86, respectively.
