by Jessie Magee
A long-running campaign to exempt cross-border
workers and students from paying Vehicle
Registration Tax has made a breakthrough after the
European Commission announced its intention to begin
legal proceedings against Ireland for infringing
freedom of movement.
Irish citizens who live in the Republic but spend
much of their time in the North for work or study
have been forced to live outside the law for years.
They are obliged to pay UK car tax to be insured on
the roads in the North, however when they return to
the Republic at the weekend, they find themselves in
breach of Irish tax law. Since VRT was introduced in
1993, thousands of UK-registered cars belonging to
Irish motorists have been seized by revenue officers
in the Republic.
But their Catch-22 situation may be coming to an
end, thanks to a petition presented to the European
Parliament earlier this year by Donegal resident
Ryan Stewart. He claimed that the refusal by the
Irish authorities to exempt cross-border workers
from paying VRT represented an infringement on their
right to move and work freely within the EU.
Up to now, the Irish Government’s position has been
that any tax issue is within the jurisdiction of
member states, however the Commission’s decision to
take legal action suggests that Ireland’s VRT regime
may indeed violate the EU treaties. North West MEP
Marian Harkin, who has supported Mr Stewart’s
campaign, said there is “no doubt” but that certain
VRT regulations discriminate against those living in
border areas. The Independent MEP said the
Commission’s decision to take action is “just and
fair...as certain categories of people are put in an
impossible situation by the current application of
VRT law”. |
