A proposal to penalise motorists who do not pay their vehicle tax online would unfairly hit older drivers, the charity Age Action has said.
The measure is contained in a report by the Local Government Efficiency Review Group which was published today. The report was approved by the Government on Wednesday.
Penalising those who do not use the online motor tax facility failed to recognise that one of the main reasons people do not use this service is that they do not have computer skills or access to a computer, Age Action said.
Spokesman Eamon Timmins said some 80 per cent of over-65s in Ireland were not computer literate.
He noted that the Government’s digital inclusion funding, to provide computer skills to groups within society, ends this year.
Age Action had used the funding to train over 5,000 older people.
It is now seeking private sponsors to enable it continue the successful programme and help over a thousand older people currently on its waiting list for courses.
“It would be grossly unfair for the Government to cut computer training funding and then turn around and penalise those who do not have computer skills for not using its online facility to process their motor tax,” Mr Timmins said.
In total, the Local Government Efficiency Review Group has made 106 recommendations totalling €511 million in savings.