The government has been asked to reduce the rate of vehicle registration tax (VRT) to 20 per cent in the coming Budget. The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), in a pre-Budget submission, said Irish consumers paid 25 per cent more for cars than the average EU citizen. "It is clear Irish people are being denied the benefits of the single market five years after it was set up, because of the high tax on cars in Ireland," said the society's chief executive, Mr Cyril McHugh.