Over inflated open market selling prices (omsp..)

Thanks car-dealer, I was beginning to think I was the only person that had problems with VRO employees, (definitely not VRO workers).
The service that they provide is abysmal, and why would they bother trying to improve it, they have got a captive audience and they're milking everyone of them.
When the details of a car that I imported were incorrect on the registration document, it took me 7 weeks, going between the road tax office, the VRT office and phoning Shannon to get it sorted out, each department saying that they hadn't made any mistakes, even though they ALL agreed the details were incorrect!

Inflated OMSP breaches EU law.

Not much you can do in the short-term, but you should compain to National Consumer Agency (consumerconnect.ie) and to the EU Commission. Here is a copy of the e-mail I sent to the EU Commision - SG-PLAINTES@ec.europa.eu. KEEP THE PRESSURE ON!
1. It does not deduct any registration taxes paid in the (EU) country of origin;

2. The tax is a percentage of the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) which is derived at by the taxation authorities in Ireland. It is almost always inflated therefore giving Irish motor dealers protection from competition from other EU states, especially the UK. It is only updated once or twice per year and the method of its calculation is secret;

3. Motor dealers in Ireland are consulted to help derive the OMSP of certain cars, which is a conflict of interest;

4. The final VRT amount is not guaranteed until you present the car for inspection. If you disagree with the valuation (and therefore the VRT) you can appeal but you must pay the VRT first. This makes price comparison impossible prior to purchase of the car and therefore give Irish dealers an unfair advantage;

5. The VRT is levied on the tax-inclusive value of the car, including VAT. This means it is a tax on a tax;

6. Because it is a percentage of the market value, VRT is levied on safety equipment (such a traction control) and technology to reduce emissions or improve fuel consumption. It is also levied on extras (such as leather seats) even though a luxury tax (VAT) was already paid. If leather seats were imported and fitted after registration, VRT on those seats would not be paid;

7. The complete list of OMSP’s is not freely available in a single document. You can enquire about a single car at a time but you cannot view the entire list for comparison.

VRT on used cars is legal and it is levied in other EU states, including Finland and Greece. However, it cannot be used to protect local motor traders from competition for other EU states. Therefore, the VRT levied on imported used cars must be the same as the value of VRT incorporated into the price of a simialr used car that was originally registered in Ireland.

For example (not real figures),
New VW Golf for €20,910 inc. VRT €3910
Pretax price €17,000
VRT 23% (17,000 @ 23% = €3910)

If after 2 years the car was sold for €14,000, then the pro-rate VRT would be €2617.89 ie. (14000/123) * 100

If the govenment charge more that €2617.89 VRT on a similar imported car then it is giving an unfair advantage to local sellers and would be in breach of EU competition laws.

Obviously valuing cars is subjective - no two are exactly the same so you would expect variations. However, the current list of OMSP's is blatantly inaccurate and always inflated.