Paper Motor Tax Disc Set To Be Scrapped Under New Bill
Did you know the paper motor tax disc is set to be scrapped? Government has approved the Bill, but it is not yet law, so keep displaying your current disc.
Government has approved legislation that will remove the legal requirement to display a paper motor tax disc on the windscreen. Motorists should not take theirs down yet, however, as the Bill has still to pass through the Oireachtas and nothing changes until it does.
The measure is contained in the National Vehicle and Driver File, Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2026, approved by Government on 29 July 2026 as part of a wider package of road safety measures announced by the Department of Transport. The same package covered new e-scooter regulations and reform of the Road Safety Authority, which Cork Safety Alerts reported on earlier this week.
Under the Bill, drivers will no longer be legally obliged to display the paper disc. Motor tax itself is not being abolished, and vehicles will still need to be taxed to be used in a public place.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, Seán Canney:
"The NVDF Bill will make a key contribution to road safety by enabling the sharing of traffic collision data between An Garda Síochána and local authorities. It will also bring improvements and efficiencies for drivers, including the abolition of the requirement to display a paper motor tax disc and allowing for open-ended declarations that a car is off the road. The abolition of motor tax discs is part of a wider project to remove the need to display paper discs in windscreens and I look forward to bringing the legislation through the Oireachtas in the Autumn."
The reasoning is that the disc no longer tells gardaí anything they cannot already check. The Department of Transport has said that with the widespread deployment of Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology, An Garda Síochána already has immediate digital access to motor tax information, and that the legislation removes what it describes as an unnecessary validation of tax compliance with a paper disc.
The National Vehicle and Driver File itself is the central register of vehicles and drivers, a database maintained by the Department of Transport.
Insurance discs and NCT certificates are a separate matter and must still be displayed. The Department has indicated that similar changes for those documents are being worked on through secondary legislation, so windscreens will not be clearing entirely just yet.
The Bill does two other significant things. It will allow local authorities, in their role as road authorities, to request, receive and process road collision data from both the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána. It will also allow for the consideration of a charge of careless driving where a jury acquits a defendant of a charge of dangerous driving.
Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien:
"The publication of the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill marks another important milestone in delivering the Government's Road Safety Strategy and our commitments under the Programme for Government. It will ensure that local authorities have direct access to collision data when undertaking road infrastructure investment. The legislative amendments will also facilitate greater real-time access to the database by An Garda Síochána in future, assisting with enforcement and contributing to safety on our roads."
The collision data provision carries particular weight in Cork. Cork County Council's Roads Directorate is responsible for the maintenance of the largest road network of any local authority in the country at 12,200km, and Cork recorded 21 road deaths in 2025, second only to Dublin, according to Road Safety Authority figures reported by the Irish Examiner.
Minister of State with responsibility for Rural Transport, Jerry Buttimer, a Cork South-Central TD, welcomed the package.
"I strongly welcome this significant package of measures approved today. For rural communities in particular, safe and dependable roads are essential to daily life. By strengthening road safety, modernising driver services and supporting evidence-based investment in our road network, we are helping to create safer journeys and more connected communities across the country. I look forward to working with colleagues across Government to deliver these important measures to the benefit of all road users."
The motor tax disc has been a feature of Irish roads since 1921, according to the Irish Examiner, and its removal has been in train for some time. The general schemes of two separate Bills were approved in July 2024, but neither progressed during the autumn 2024 legislative term ahead of the General Election.
The two were merged and approved for drafting in April 2025. At that point the Department said that, subject to the approval of the Oireachtas, it was anticipated the Bill would be enacted by year-end.
That did not happen, and the legislation again failed to reach the Dáil before the summer recess this year, drawing criticism from road safety campaigners in July. Minister Canney has now said he looks forward to bringing it through the Oireachtas in the autumn.
Until then, the rules are unchanged. A current disc must be displayed, and failure to do so currently carries a fixed charge fine of €60.
Motor tax can be renewed online at motortax.ie. The Cork Motor Tax Office, operated by Cork County Council, relocated in September 2025 to the Business Growth Hub on the County Hall Campus, Carrigrohane Road, and operates by prior appointment only. Appointments can be booked at yourcouncil.ie or by calling (021) 4544566.
