The Irish Independent reports that the Department of the Environment has drafted legislation to allow for the confiscation of vehicles which are fraudulently declared off-the-road. The paper reports that a considerable number of vehicle owners are falsely declaring their vehicle to be off the road – and signing declarations to that effect – while continuing to use them in a bid to avoid paying motor tax.

The numbers not paying motor tax are as high as 1 in 10 drivers resulting in a significant loss of revenue to the state. The confiscation rules, when enacted, will bring Irish law into line with the UK.

See also our previous post about the new UK rules – set to be introduced this month – which make it illegal to fail to insure a vehicle which is off-the-road but not declared as such.