Sir - I am writing in response to the letter from Mr Derrick Hambleton of Galway (September 7th) in connection with potential financial incentives to encourage taxi owners/drivers to purchase wheelchair-accessible taxis. Such incentives, according to Mr Hambleton, should include the removal of VRT and VAT on these specially adapted vehicles.
In its pre-Budget submission to the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, the Irish LP Gas Association has proposed a combined Government and industry initiative to fund and encourage the conversion of vehicles to use cleaner fuels, including LP gas. These proposals include lower vehicle registration tax and VAT for clean-fuel vehicles.
Many of the models suitable for conversion for wheelchair accessibility are also ideally suited for conversion to cleaner fuels, such as LP gas. Ireland currently lags far behind our other EU partners in the provision of both public transportation which is accessible for people with impaired mobility and in the introduction of cleaner motor fuel initiatives for our larger cities.
The Irish LP Gas Association proposes that greater accessibility through public transport and better urban air quality through wider use of cleaner fuels can be achieved only through the introduction of a range of innovative financial incentives. - Yours, etc., Sean McCourt,
Chairman,
Irish LP Gas Association,
Leeson Park,
Dublin 6.