VRT on cars already in Ireland

big b

Hi folks
Couldn't see an answer to this elsewhere, so..........

Say you want to buy an ex-UK car which has been in Ireland for some time, but still has it's yellow plates.
I assume you'd have to pay the amount of VRT that was due when the car was deemed to have entered the country, not what it would be now?

Does anyone have any info/hearsay that Revenue are scanning the private ads for cars for sale "price €**** +VRT" & pursuing the owners for the VRT they should have paid months or years ago?

Biro

big b wrote: »

Hi folks
Couldn't see an answer to this elsewhere, so..........

Say you want to buy an ex-UK car which has been in Ireland for some time, but still has it's yellow plates.
I assume you'd have to pay the amount of VRT that was due when the car was deemed to have entered the country, not what it would be now?

Does anyone have any info/hearsay that Revenue are scanning the private ads for cars for sale "price €**** +VRT" & pursuing the owners for the VRT they should have paid months or years ago?

No, you only pay the VRT on what it is now. When the car came into the country has no bearing on it.
If you bring in a car now, drive it for two years on UK plates, you only pay VRT calculated on the date you clear it. Even if you get stopped by customs, they'll either A - get you to clear it that day, or B - impound it and force you to clear it and pay a 10% of the OMSP to release the car also. They'd normally only impound it if they knew it was on the road a long time.

big b

Thanks Biro.:)

Must say I'm surprised - a Polish guy who works near me told me he was stopped near Shannon airport by Customs, driving a Polish reg car, he tried to tell them he'd just brought the car in, but they did a quick check & told him what day the car really arrived on the ferry! Therefore, if I go to pay VRT on a UK car, I'd have thought they'd check the reg to see when it arrived here & be looking for the larger amount of VRT that would have been due then?

The way you tell it, Customs are basically saying have a go at avoiding us, if you get away with it for a couple of years it'll save you loads - good luck.

That just doesn't sound like Customs to me!

Biro

big b wrote: »

Thanks Biro.:)

Must say I'm surprised - a Polish guy who works near me told me he was stopped near Shannon airport by Customs, driving a Polish reg car, he tried to tell them he'd just brought the car in, but they did a quick check & told him what day the car really arrived on the ferry! Therefore, if I go to pay VRT on a UK car, I'd have thought they'd check the reg to see when it arrived here & be looking for the larger amount of VRT that would have been due then?

The way you tell it, Customs are basically saying have a go at avoiding us, if you get away with it for a couple of years it'll save you loads - good luck.

That just doesn't sound like Customs to me!

Not really. Their primary targets are drug smugglers. If we knew what they knew regaring their real day-to-day worries, €1,000 lost on a car that should have been VRT'd last year doesn't really cause them much worry. If you're lining up your UK cars on your back street however it's a different story.
They're really not out to nail the guy who brought in the car for his own use and is just slow to clear it. They don't want you doing it, but it's probably the smallest part of their work.

Owen

That's not exactly true Biro, the Revenue are quite entitled to ask for proof of entry into this country, and charge accordingly. However, in most cases, they're just happy to see the vehicle bring VRT'd, and won't question the date.

Biro

ned78 wrote: »

That's not exactly true Biro, the Revenue are quite entitled to ask for proof of entry into this country, and charge accordingly. However, in most cases, they're just happy to see the vehicle bring VRT'd, and won't question the date.

Oh right, wasn't aware of that. I was going by a few examples of people I've heard of getting caught, and being informed that they know they were driving the car for x number of months, but clear it straight away. They mustn't bother enforcing it all that often.

big b

Thanks guys.

I was a bit worried that - say I bought locally, a 4 year old Merc with UK plates for 20K in a private deal. Seller claims car has only been in Ireland 3 months & shows a ferry ticket as "evidence". Then I go to VRT it & Customs say "that car's been here 3 years (apart from a week 3 months ago), the VRT is x% of the OMSP then, not now".

That would be quite a difference, I'd imagine! I'd have been slightly put out if the previous owner had got off free while I paid the VRT that he owed them!

MouthPiece

The Customs can easily find out when a car arrived on a ferry , but they cannot find out so easily when it crossed the border from Northern Ireland, which is thankfully still part of the United Kingdom.

MarkR

I VRT'd a car that had been in the country for months. Date it came into country doesn't come into it. I don't even think you have to note when you bought it.

big b

Thanks guys.

Glad I asked this now, as the answer wasn't what I expected!

Owen

MarkR wrote: »

Date it came into country doesn't come into it.

That's just your individual case. There are plenty of cases where people have had to produce ferry tickets, and have been hit by back tax on their import.

Just to confirm, you are liable for VRT from the date the vehicle entered ROI, just because the VRO choose to ignore that in certain cases, does not mean they will in every case.

green-blood

em, btw, its illegal as a private idividual to trade a non irish registered car... so be very careful

scaldybelt

green-blood wrote: »

em, btw, its illegal as a private idividual to trade a non irish registered car... so be very careful

Yes - can't say I'm impressed by the number of sellers allowed to sell their UK plated cars on Adverts.ie when its obvious they've been driving them over here illegally for months if not years.