Bikers Unite! Let's Reduce VAT on Irish Helmets!

Steffano2002

Fellow bikers,

Some of you browsing Biker.ie might already be aware of the petition created to reduce VAT on motorcycle helmets bought in the Republic of Ireland.

Indeed, we, Irish bikers, must pay the full 21.5% Irish VAT when buying helmets here in Ireland which has translated into a huge number of bikers riding up North or buying from UK websites to avail of the (logical) 0% UK VAT on Safety Equipment.

As a result, a petition has been created by a Biker.ie member called "Easilyled" who has also been in contact with the Taoiseach's Office and Brian Lenihan (Minister for Finance).

I'm sure you will all agree when I say that the 21.5% Irish VAT on helmets has become a deterrent as opposed to an income for our Government and that this has resulted in a loss of earnings for our country in a number of different ways: primarily in loss of revenue for the Government but also, more tragically, a loss of earnings for the Motorcycle Industry in Ireland.

Another important factor is that due to helmets being so expensive in Ireland, a lot of bikers have had to buy cheap/inferior helmets that just about meet the required standards!

As a way of reducing road deaths in this country, surely it would make sense to make higher specification helmets more affordable?

What the petition is proposing is that the VAT on Motorcycle Helmets be reduced to 4.8% (lowest VAT Rate in Ireland). Doing this would encourage bikers to buy helmets from Irish dealers and also encourage bikers to buy safer Helmets that would be more affordable.

If you agree with the above and would like to see a lower VAT Rate applied to motorcycle helmets in Ireland then sign this e-Petition by adding your name (and a comment if you wish to do so):

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/helmetvat/index.html

These signatures will then be passed to both the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance.

FYI: After adding your name and comment to the petition you will have to click on "Sign petition". After this, a page looking for donations to the petition website will open. YOU DO NOT NEED TO MAKE A DONATION! Simply re-open the first page (by clicking the link above) and click on "signatures" to make sure it your signature was taken into consideration.

Thanks again!

bladespin

Best of luck steffano

galwaytt

I agree, but in keeping with all PPE, it should, in fact be 0%. I have a hard hat for work, gloves, apparrel - all at 0%. M/c gear is, in fact, safety apparel, and should be similarly VAT rated.

paddy147

Or else just buy in your bike gear from the USA for half the price.

I did and got this Suomy helmet in from the USA for 400 euro,would have cost me 600 euro here.

brian plank

paddy147 wrote: »

Or else just buy in your bike gear from the USA for half the price.

I did and got this Suomy helmet in from the USA for 400 euro,would have cost me 600 euro here.

+1. got helmet for 150 quid online in US, seen it for 330 here. :eek: thats not vat, its greed.

RATM

This is a waste of time tbh. Not a hope Lenihan will go for it, regardless of how many signatures are on the petition.

The realist approach is that helmets are compulsory so the Dept.of Finance has a legal monopoly on charging VAT on them. Reducing the VAT won't increase sales as they are compulsory, it will only mean less money for the exchequer in an already tightened time.

And the argument that removing the VAT will encourage people to buy more expensive helmets because its safer for their head ( and ultimately life ) doesn't stand up to scrutiny. If people already make the choice to buy the cheapest helmet available on the market because of its price then that will also happen when the VAT is removed, it won't change buying habits in the slightest. Believe it or not some people just want the best deal, even when its potentially their life on the line. Strange, but true.

And even if Lenehan did capitulate to this idea then he would have a rash of similar claims from all other avenues of the safety equipment industry all arguing for a lower VAT rate on their steel capped boots, safety goggles, heavy duty gloves, etc and so on ad infinitum. Simply put, he's not going to open the floodgates to that by entertaining this idea.

And finally, Ive worked in An Post before and I've seen first hand how parcels get thrown around in there. For anyone who has bought a helmet online I wouldn't be so sure that it hasn't been dropped on the ground without you even knowing.



Now if there was a campaign to raise the minimum safety standards for helmets sold in Ireland then I'd definitely support that.

galwaytt

RATM wrote: »

This is a waste of time tbh. Not a hope Lenihan will go for it, regardless of how many signatures are on the petition.
The realist approach is that helmets are compulsory so the Dept.of Finance has a legal monopoly on charging VAT on them. Reducing the VAT won't increase sales as they are compulsory, it will only mean less money for the exchequer in an already tightened time.

. Quite possibly, true. Except your one chance is that the volume is so small, they'd lose nothing worth talking about, by allowing them to be VAT free....

RATM wrote: »

And even if Lenehan did capitulate to this idea then he would have a rash of similar claims from all other avenues of the safety equipment industry all arguing for a lower VAT rate on their steel capped boots, safety goggles, heavy duty gloves, etc and so on ad infinitum. Simply put, he's not going to open the floodgates to that by entertaining this idea.

...ahem, see my post - there is no VAT on anything in your list, already precisely BECAUSE it's safety gear AND they're mandatory. Just like bike gear, then.....

RATM wrote: »

Now if there was a campaign to raise the minimum safety standards for helmets sold in Ireland then I'd definitely support that.

There is, already, a standard. - ECE 22.05

bushy...

galwaytt wrote: »

I agree, but in keeping with all PPE, it should, in fact be 0%. I have a hard hat for work, gloves, apparrel - all at 0%. M/c gear is, in fact, safety apparel, and should be similarly VAT rated.

Should change the petition to something along those lines , probably way more chance of getting them to class helmets ( and gloves and boots ) as PPE than getting a 4% vat rate for them

Del2005

I'll stick my name to it, but I doubt they will do anything about it. They have a precedent set in the cage world where you get charged VRT and VAT on safety equipment, so dropping VAT on granted mandatory motorcycle helmets won't happen.

seanybiker

Del2005 wrote: »

I'll stick my name to it, but I doubt they will do anything about it. They have a precedent set in the cage world where you get charged VRT and VAT on safety equipment, so dropping VAT on granted mandatory motorcycle helmets won't happen.

+1 on that.

I think its only fair that if they reduce VAT for bikers they should do the same with car drivers. fair enough car drivers get the safety built in but emmm now I cant remember what I was gonna say.

Run_to_da_hills

A spin up to Crossons is a little over an hour from Dublin Well worth it.

Steffano2002

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

A spin up to Crossons is a little over an hour from Dublin Well worth it.

Indeed, but wouldn't you like to keep your business in this country a bit more?

Granted some bike dealers are absolute thiefs (B*k*w*r*d comes to mind) but that doesn't mean other dealers aren't honest and hard working and I'd like to be able to give them my business. But right now this is impossible because they are automatically 21.5% more expensive to begin with!

Run_to_da_hills

Steffano2002 wrote: »

Indeed, but wouldn't you like to keep your business in this country a bit more?

No, I couldn't give two sh*ts about keeping business here if I can source it cheaper elsewhere. Personal credit crunch.

paddy147

Steffano2002 wrote: »

Indeed, but wouldn't you like to keep your business in this country a bit more?

Granted some bike dealers are absolute thiefs (B*k*w*r*d comes to mind) but that doesn't mean other dealers aren't honest and hard working and I'd like to be able to give them my business. But right now this is impossible because they are automatically 21.5% more expensive to begin with!

Why does it matter where the business is?

The way i see it in this day and age................as long as my wallett and pocket if fuller,than I dont give a flying fig where I buy from or what part of the world I get stuff in from.Irerland will ALLWAYS be more expenve no matter what you do or try to do about it.

This petition is a complete waste of time and pointless.Face it.

Fabio

Some on here say its a waste of time. It isn't for to get anything you must always ask and see what happens.

Lets see what happens.

KamiKazi

Signed, good luck with the petition Steffano

Steffano2002

KamiKazi wrote: »

Signed, good luck with the petition Steffano

Thanks Kami!

Fazer6

Hi Steffano2002,

Just signed your petition, good luck !!!!

fazer6