How painful is avoiding vrt?

requiem1

Alright all,

I'm sure this is asked alot but thought i'd ask.

I have a house up the north and was considering buying a new car in these recessionary times to avail of value for money. I only sometimes work up the north and 90% of the year i live/work/pay tax in ireland.

If i buy a car up the north and register it to my house up there, can i successfully avoid paying the vrt?

I don't use my car that much during the year to be honest, i'd drive less than 10,000 miles a year but i'm curious is there other boxes i need to tick in order to do this whole avoidance of vrt thing?

People who seem to do it say its more hassle than its worth.

Thanks,

Req

unkel

requiem1 wrote: »

90% of the year i live/work/pay tax in ireland.

If i buy a car up the north and register it to my house up there, can i successfully avoid paying the vrt?

No. You are a resident here so you'll have to pay the vrt. Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear, but not paying vrt in your situation is not avoidance but evasion, which is illegal.

Robertr

requiem1 wrote: »

People who seem to do it say its more hassle than its worth.

Not to mention the fact that its illegal.

alias no.9

Remember, you're dealing with the revenue commisioners, they can check all of your tax details so they know your business. Ethical and legal issues aside, they'd spot you a mile off. Buy your car in the UK if you can get a deal, pay your VRT and appeal it if you think it's too high.

requiem1

yeah kinda getting that buzz from other people, i was curious as to what credentials you need to have but clearly its not the easiest thing to do.

I didn't know that it was necessarily illegal but i'm gathering you guys know more than i do. I presume alot of people do it though?

Farls

How long is a piece of string really?

You have to take a lot of things into consideration, if I owned a house in NI there is no way I'd pay VRT on a vehicle, but I don't so I have. Where do you live normally? What type of car are you thinking about purchasing?

As has been mentioned and you obviously already know its illegal and is quite costly if caught. I've driven NI cars for years in the south and never had much trouble apart from 2 VERY close ones with the traffic core, I was always trying to look around the next corner and stick to back roads etc which was a lot of hassle and once I finished college and could afford luxuries in life I started to VRT my vehicles

If you do purchase in the UK and pay your VRT then as also mentioned above appeal the amount you have paid, its only 1 letter and the majority of cases win. I paid €4,800 earlier this year on VRT and won an appeal getting €1,900 back :eek: all it took was a letter with a few calculations in it!

Biro

requiem1 wrote: »

yeah kinda getting that buzz from other people, i was curious as to what credentials you need to have but clearly its not the easiest thing to do.

I didn't know that it was necessarily illegal but i'm gathering you guys know more than i do. I presume alot of people do it though?

They're exceptionally strict on it. You and your car must be at least 4 nights of the week at the NI address, and you'd need documents to prove that. You need to prove it to them rather than the other way around.
You could get yourself a NI license and register the car to your house there, and pay the NI road tax, then it would look legit and you'd be waved on. An out of date or no NI tax disk really does ring alarm bells with them though, as it's obvious what you're doing. An Irish driving license is the killer.
You're not the first to have tried this, VRT is in nearly 20 years is it? They've closed every loop hole.

Mr Benevolent

There is one guaranteed way to avoid VRT that always works and is totally legal.

BUY A USED CAR IN IRELAND!

Farls

Biro wrote: »

An out of date or no NI tax disk really does ring alarm bells with them though, as it's obvious what you're doing. An Irish driving license is the killer.

And having a *Insert County here* for Sam sticker in the window and window flag for show!

eth0_

Who lives in the house you own in the North? A relative? You could keep the car up there and insure it in relatives name. After six months you can bring it 'down south' and not have to pay VRT. I can't see any illegality in this. The OP is paying rates to the council in the North and presumably on his UK mortgage also.

robtri

eth0_ wrote: »

Who lives in the house you own in the North? A relative? You could keep the car up there and insure it in relatives name. After six months you can bring it 'down south' and not have to pay VRT. I can't see any illegality in this. The OP is paying rates to the council in the North and presumably on his UK mortgage also.

it is illegal, if you are a resident of the ROI, then you have to pay VRT(exemptions excluded)
it is that simple, doesn't matter if you own a hundred house in the UK....

Farls

robtri wrote: »

it is illegal, if you are a resident of the ROI, then you have to pay VRT(exemptions excluded)
it is that simple, doesn't matter if you own a hundred house in the UK....

How is what etho explained illegal? and 'it just is' or 'you have to' aren't valid reasons.

niceirishfella

eth0_ wrote: »

Who lives in the house you own in the North? A relative? You could keep the car up there and insure it in relatives name. After six months you can bring it 'down south' and not have to pay VRT

you can't do this.:P

Theta

You have to provide proof that you were living in the north. Bank statments, payslips etc. If it was as simple as stashing it up north we would all be doing it.

R.O.R

irlmarc wrote: »

You have to provide proof that you were living in the north. Bank statments, payslips etc. If it was as simple as stashing it up north we would all be doing it.

And then prove you are now resident ROI - so you can't register it in the name of an NI friend, then bring it down.

Max Headroom

OR......this is all true...guy i know ..wealthy family, house and company in the UK , huge house outside Dublin ..Father drives back and forth to the UK in a uk reg car..fair enough...But the family all live and work here , all drive BIG cars, All on UK plates...Once a year they drive back to the UK to sort out their tax ,mot etc...btw any work needed gets done in the UK (for tax purposes i suppose) and not by Irish garages..:(..Now i'm not a begrudger in any way, but anytime i see this guy (24 btw) in his big motor it makes my blood boil...He's always getting stopped but nothing ever happens...he laughs about it....

So in conclusion..if you have the balls or a shed load of money ,just dont bother with the VRT......:o

Anan1

OP - it's quite simple -if you're an ROI resident then you have to pay the VRT.