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A tractor that had not been taxed in over 20 years was seized by gardaí in Co Wexford on Tuesday 25 August.
The New Holland tractor with a 2000 reg had never been road-taxed and was stopped in the Kilmuckridge area.
“The tractor has since been reclaimed by the rightful owner, who had to pay a €60 fine, a €250 impound fee, and back tax the tractor for 20 years, costing €2,000,” Niall Brophy from Wexford Garda Roads Policing Unit told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Complacencies
The motor tax office charges €102 every year to tax a tractor for the road. In total, the owner paid €2,400 for its release. The offence of driving a tractor on public roads without tax does not merit penalty points.
Brophy continued: “The untaxed tractor was 100% mechanically fit for the road but we can’t allow any complacencies with heavy machinery. All farmers must ensure their road tax is up to date.
“We have had our fair share of accidents in this part of the country and in recent years we have tightened up on tractor drivers to ensure everything is in order.”
Job to do
Gardaí in Wexford are hoping these routine stops will encourage farmers who are on the fence about taxing and servicing their tractors to comply with the regulations.
“The gardaí in Wexford are aware of the various struggles in farming at the minute but ultimately we have a job to do,” Brophy concluded.
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