Environmental tax imposed on truck tires? !
In 2025, a piece of news from the tire industry shocked the world.
Tires will be taxed environmentally!
01 Irish tire tax increases
Recently, farmer leaders in the Republic of Ireland are protesting the extension of Ireland's waste tires into the EPR program. The EPR program (Extended Producer Responsibility) is an important part of the European environmental protection initiative.
The program is known for its strictness and comprehensiveness. In 2025, Ireland decided to include agricultural, construction, industrial, truck and bus tires in the program and decided to collect environmental taxes on tires within these ranges.
This decision immediately angered the locals in Ireland. The Irish Farmers Association warned in a statement that environmental taxes could affect the competitiveness of the tire market and have a negative impact on the market's originally good operating environment.
At the same time, John Murphy, chairman of the Irish IFA Environment, asked for a postponement of the decision and postponed the decision. John Murphy believes that the inclusion of tires in the environmental tax will directly undermine the rights and interests of the Irish tire market.
He said that the IFA is calling for the establishment of a stakeholder working group to provide a forum to ease people's concerns about cost transparency, classification, market distortion and competitiveness.
02 Environmental taxes cause comprehensive concerns
It is reported that the Irish Tire Industry Association (ITIA), the Road Haulage Association, the Irish Farm and Forestry Contractors Association (FCI) and the Coach Tourism and Transport Committee have also expressed the same concerns. At present, the first to take action due to dissatisfaction is the Irish Farmers Association. The association has written to the Minister of State for Circular Economy at the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy to seek a meeting.
03 Irish Tire Mandatory Compliance Program
In 2017, Ireland launched a mandatory tire compliance program, which is funded through "visible environmental management costs" (VEMC). The regulations also impose fees on imported used cars and motorcycles to cover the visible environmental management costs associated with each vehicle tire (including spare tires).
In fact, this fee is very expensive - 3.44 euros (26.08 yuan) per car tire and 1.85 euros (14.03 yuan) per motorcycle tire.
This also means that if a commuter car tire is replaced, consumers will have to spend at least about 104 yuan more.
According to this ratio, the environmental tax on truck tires and agricultural tires may be more than 5 euros per tire, or even 10 euros. For tire consumers, this is definitely not a small amount.
At the same time, under consumption downgrade, consumers may extend the replacement cycle or replace cheaper tires. This is also the reason for many tire manufacturers to worry.
In 2024, the Irish authorities have stated that on January 1, 2025, the tire environmental tax plan will be expanded from passenger cars, four-wheel drive vehicles, vans and motorcycles to other types.
