One in five cutting it close for road tax

Transportation officials say there will be no deadline extension for motor vehicle registration renewals, with police saying fines will be issued to road tax violators after March 11.

According to Transportation Department Director Yiannis Nicolaides, March 11 is the latest possible day vehicle owners can still renew their road tax without penalty.

“There will be no extension as March 11 is set by law and it cannot change. It is 70 days after the end of the road tax from the previous year,” Nicoladies said.

About 480,000 registrations have been renewed to date, while another 120,000 were still pending this week.

“We can see that renewals are picking up the pace over the last few days, but we are pleading with the public not to wait until the last day so that we can avoid technical glitches,” the director added.

Road tax violators, in other words motorists caught using public roads illegally, will be issued citations on the spot with current fines set at €85.

Vehicle owners who register after the deadline will also be assessed a late fee, calculated at 10% of the annual due amount plus another €10.