Cars will not be required to display motor tax discs in future under new legislation approved by the Government.
The paper disc has been a feature of Irish motoring almost as long as motor tax itself, which was introduced in 1921. The discs were introduced as receipts, showing proof of payment.
On Tuesday, the Cabinet approved the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2025, which will also improve information-sharing on road traffic collisions.
The Bill will allow for the abolition of a requirement on motorists to display a motor tax disc on their cars. The memo was brought by Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien on behalf of Minister of State for Road Transport Seán Canney.
The nationwide use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology by an An Garda Síochána means that it already has immediate digital access to motor tax information.
ANPR cameras can detect the number plate of a car and relate it back to the National Driver File Bill, which is the central register of vehicles and drivers. It is used by the Garda, but also by other State agencies including the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
The legislation will end the need to display a paper disc to validate motor tax compliance.
The Bill will also provide the legislative basis to facilitate the flow of information so that local authorities, in their role as road authorities, may request, receive and process road collision data from both the RSA and An Garda Síochána.
The local authorities can then target areas where collisions are more frequent, and provide engineering and safety solutions.
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Mr Canney said the Bill would contribute to road safety through infrastructure investment and enforcement, and would also bring improvements and efficiencies for drivers.
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The Cabinet also approved the publication of the Climate Action Plan for 2025, more than four months after its scheduled release date. The plan was delayed because of the General Election. Minister for the Environment and Climate Action Darragh O’Brien brought a memo to Cabinet that undertook to spend more than half a billion euro on retrofitting during the course of this year.
Some of the actions include increased provision for heat pumps, a roadmap for the phasing-out of fossil fuel boilers in homes, and an acceleration in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.
There will also be a review of EV incentives during the course of 2025.
The Government also published the results of the Climate Action Plan for 2024, which showed an implementation rate of only 64 per cent, or 80 of the 125 targets set.
