Ah ye poor things..........Just be thankful that you dont live in Ireland.
For Privatley owned Passenger vehicles .....
Older cars registered before July 2008 will continue to be have motor tax based on the size of their engine - the bigger the engine cc - the higher the tax.
Listed below are the car tax rates in Ireland as at Jan 2010 for cars registered prior to July 2008.
The amounts can be paid for 6 months or 3 months - but the rates are slightly higher than if you pay for a full 12 months.
Engine Size Annual Car Tax in € Euro
Not over 1,000 172
1,001 to 1,100 259
1,101 to 1,200 286
1,201 to 1,300 310
1,301 to 1,400 333
1,401 to 1,500 357
1,501 to 1,600 445
1,601 to 1,700 471
1,701 to 1,800 551
1,801 to 1,900 582
1,901 to 2,000 614
2,001 to 2,100 784
2,101 to 2,200 823
2,201 to 2,300 860
2,301 to 2,400 895
2,401 to 2,500 935
2,501 to 2,600 1120
2,601 to 2,700 1164
2,701 to 2,800 1204
2,801 to 2,900 1,248
2,901 to 3,000 1,293
3,001 or more 1,566
So thank your lucky stars.
Now you can see the appeal of the Commercial Vehicles in Ireland, which have only 2 seats, but a big load area, as I only pay €288 road tax.
For Vehicles registered since 2008 prices are .............
The rates of Irish Car Tax from January 2010 are shown below based on CO2 emissions
Band A: cars that produce 0-120g/km CO2 - €104 road tax;
Band B: cars that produce 121g - 140g/km CO2 - €156 road tax;
Band C: cars that produce 141g-155g/km CO2 - €302 road tax;
Band D: cars that produce 156g-170g/km CO2 - €447 road tax;
Band E: cars that produce 171g-190g/km CO2 - €630 road tax;
Band F: cars that produce 191g-225g/km CO2 - €1,050 road tax;
Band G: cars that produce 226g/km CO2 and over - €2,100 road tax