Increase in people paying NI road tax

More people are paying their road tax in the North, the British government revealed today.

Motor-tax evasion fell in the North last year by nearly a quarter from 2004.

According to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland’s 2005 roadside survey, the overall rate of Vehicle Excise Duty was 5.4%, down from 7.2% the previous year.

For specific categories, the rates were 3.9% for cars and vans and 5.5% for goods vehicles.

DVLNI chief executive Brendan Magee was pleased to see the reduction but said officials could not afford to rest on their laurels.

“In fact, evasion rates for cars and vans has almost halved since 2002.

“The reduction can be attributed to the introduction of new car tax rules, the increase in the number of detection cases and more joint operations with the PSNI and other enforcement agencies.

“However, we cannot afford to be complacent. Evasion rates in Northern Ireland are still over twice the Great Britain average and remain high at 5.5% for goods vehicles.”