Technical Issue Causes Confusion Over Rescue Vehicle Tax

2026-02-01 - 16:18

A recent mix-up with Iceland Revenue and Customs (Skatturinn) has led to confusion over kilometre fee payments for the country’s rescue teams. Despite initial plans to resolve the issue by the end of the month, it turned out that the situation was more complex than expected. What's the Story? Iceland Revenue and Customs (Skatturinn) mistakenly issued payment demands to Icelandic rescue teams. The error was due to inconsistencies in vehicle registration categories. Affected vehicles were incorrectly placed in the same category as police cars and ambulances. The mistake was discovered by ICE-SAR Landsbjörg this week. Skatturinn will cancel the payment demands and prevent similar issues next month. Confirmation has been provided that vehicles are used exclusively for rescue operations. Björgunarsveitin Þorbjörn. Local search and rescue volunteers at the Meradalir eruption. Jón Þór Víglundsson, communications officer for the Icelandic association for search, rescue & injury prevention (ICE-SAR Landsbjörg), revealed that the organisation was only made aware of the issue this week. As reported by Iceland Monitor, Skatturinn’s explanation for the error was reasonable, with the confusion arising from how vehicle categories were registered. Some vehicles had been placed in the same category as police cars and ambulances, which led to incorrect payment demands being sent to rescue teams. However, Víglundsson assured that no harm had been done, describing this as “a technical issue”. He confirmed that the demands would be cancelled, and steps would be taken to prevent similar issues in the future. ICE-SAR Landsbjörg provided the tax office with a proof that their vehicles are used exclusively for rescue operations. Skatturinn has also promised to cancel any similar demands that may arise next month. The kilometre fee effectively replaced traditional fuel taxes starting from 1 January 2026. It applies to all means of transportation, regardless of their energy source. The charge is determined by the vehicle’s weight.