Weight tax on SUVs must be introduced in Budget 2026
Weight tax on SUVs must be introduced in Budget 2026 - The Labour Party
Labour’s climate spokesperson Ciaran Ahern TD has welcomed the latest Budget 2026 measure floated by Government today that would add a weight tax to SUVs.
Deputy Ahern said:
“Budget 2026 must have clear and measurable outcomes to stem the impacts of climate change, and I’m glad to see that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are belatedly coming to a proposal pushed by Labour for years.
“Labour has long advocated for an SUV tax akin to France’s model, factoring in weight and size. Such a levy, integrated into Vehicle Registration Tax and annual motor tax systems, would deter unnecessary oversized vehicle ownership and could be used to mitigate their adverse impacts. We’ve already done the work for Government on this one, so there’s no excuse to roll back now.
“Large SUVs are being pushed on us by car manufacturers despite the average size of a family falling. SUVs emit more greenhouse gases and other pollutants than smaller cars, they are less fuel efficient, they cause more potholes and damage to our streets, they are more likely to be involved in collisions and then cause more severe injuries and fatalities to pedestrians and cyclists (and particularly children) due to their larger size, weight, higher bonnets and significant blind spots.
“It’s also simply not fair that the current motor tax system can mean that the owner of a smaller, cheaper hybrid car like a Toyota Corolla can pay more motor tax than the owner of a huge, luxury Audi hybrid SUV.
“We know that the European Commission has identified a €3.3 billion climate investment gap that needs to be plugged. Common sense action like a weighted SUV tax will be crucial to ensuring that we have the financing for a greener future. There can be no equivocation from Government on this long needed and very welcome proposal.”