I have no comment on the advisability, or otherwise, of this move, but 8 (presumably Euros) per card sounds like a pretty low cost, particularly when compared with the UK ID card costs, which the London School of Economics calculated in 2005 at 435 Euros per card.

Of course even if it is bargain-basement cheap that doesn't mean it is something you need, nor that other services should be sacrificed to pay for it.