The cost of getting through the annual Department of the Environment (DOE) test for 4×4 jeeps is set to jump by €80 as a new ‘upgraded’ system kicks in.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has attributed the 24pc increase to an overhaul of testing procedures following a serious road accident in 2006 when a 15-year-old student died.
The back axle became detached from the bus, despite the fact that it had passed its DOE test less than 12 months previously.
The increase will result in the test for a typical farmer’s 4×4 in the 3,500kg category costing €108.
Charge:
However, an additional charge of €43 has also been introduced for a re-test, which came into effect at testing centres around the country last week.
Up to now most test centres did not apply a fee for a re-test carried out within weeks of the original test.
The RSA is also planning to ramp up both the number of staff and its inspections “to ensure that the regulations are being complied with”.
The ICSA slammed the hike in fees.
“Together with the ever-increasing price of diesel and the new tax on quad bikes with draw-bars, you’re looking at very serious farm transport costs,” said the ICSA rural development chairman, John Barron.
The cost of taxing a quad with a tow-bar now stands at over €300 per year.
The changes come hot on the heels of new rules that prevent farmers retrospectively declaring their vehicles off the road for motor tax purposes.
Annual road tax for a tractor had also increased in recent years to €102, along with an increase in the registration cost for a new or imported machine to €200.
(Source – Irish Independent – Martin Ryan – 15th October 2013)