Postmasters urge motor tax move to local post offices

The Irish Postmasters Union has called for motor tax renewal services to be made available from post offices in a move designed to save money and boost local business.

The IPU said the motor tax system was the stand-out service that the Government currently supplied that could be easily decentralised to local centres.

It said a report by Grant Thornton found that €27m could be saved over five years by such a move because of the transaction costs involved in the existing system.

Motor tax renewals are currently offered at county offices but IPU president Ciaran McEntee said it would bring business to post offices to spread the service around.

He said such additional offerings would help make local offices more financially viable and keep them in the heart of communities.

Providing services such as Passport Express showed what his network could offer, added Mr McEntee.

“As well as the standard postal services and welfare payments, post offices now provide Passport Express, NTMA savings, property tax, Garda fixed fines, dog licenses, and banking services,” he said.

“We know there is strong support for keeping post offices at the heart of the community and postmasters want to work with government, financial service providers and customers to provide the products and services that will make this happen.”

Mr McEntee called on the Government to use this October’s budget to help support the country’s 1,150 post offices by franchising the motor tax renewals.

He said the report by Grant Thornton predicted that this move would generate €63m in additional business for post offices and be a more convenient method of payment for people who might not live close to one of the existing motor tax offices.