Brussels to hear of hardship over taxi deregulation
The delegation, five members of Families Advocate Immediate Redress (FAIR), has been invited by the parliament to reveal details of the impact overnight taxi deregulation had on widows, partners and their children.
FAIR secretary Rita Fernandez said they will travel to Brussels with an open mind and leave it to the parliamentarians to decide what recommendations, if any, should be made to the Government.
“It’s entirely up to them, we cannot decide for them, but the issue has created huge interest. What we have done is outlined the devastating impact that it’s had on families. They are very interested in the case studies,” Mrs Fernandez said. Among the stories to be told are of widows being left paying between €800 and €1,000 a month for the now virtually worthless plates. The lucky ones have managed to sell plates, worth €80,000 before deregulation, for €6,000, according to FAIR. Mrs Fernandez retains her husband’s plate, but is only occasionally and for short periods, able to rent it out to “cosies,” who operate the taxi for her.
Pre-deregulation, she was earning €250 a week from the plate, now she makes €60. In addition, the plate has to be in use when her licence comes up for renewal.
The group has already admitted defeat in its battle for full compensation for the capital cost of taxi plates pre-deregulation, as the courts have already ruled against the move.
This is despite Mrs Fernandez, and other widows, being charged property tax, and her children probate tax, by the Government when her husband died in 1998.
