Motor tax question

Zippidy

Hi, I'm about to buy a car tonight from a dealer that is out of tax.
The dealer said he will give me a receipt for the car and that if I display this on my windscreen I have two weeks' grace to get the car taxed. Is this true?

I am concerned because when the dealer posts the change in ownership form on Monday the registration office probably won;t get it until Wednesday and I certainly won't receive the documentation until after Xmas.

Will I be okay to drive it until from tonight despite the fact that it's out of tax?

George Dalton

It depends on the guard you meet. We once sold someone a car at 2pm. It was taken off them at a checkpoint 6pm for no tax.

There is another way out of it but I wouldn't do this for someone unless I knew them personally and trusted them so I doubt the dealer will agree to it. Instead of the dealer posting the VLC they can give it to you instead with all the info filled out on the back. Then you can go straight into the motor tax office and as long as you have all the other info that you need (insurance cert etc) then they will tax the car for you. They will take the old VLC and process the change of ownership for you and the new one will be sent out in the post from Shannon.

romperstomper

bottom line is you will be taking the risk not the dealer. if you are stopped and they want to seize the car, they can. they you will need to pay tow/impound and fine charges. nothing stopping you leaving the car parked up until you get the tax disc. can't for the life of me think why someone would buy a car off a dealer with no tax. let them put tax on it.

Marcusm

Hilarious. In the UK a dealer is not supposed to let the car off the lot without it being taxed. If this was the way in Ireland it might actually reduce motor tax evasion.

tuxy

Why do you need a car in your name to tax it? Is it to make sure you don't go around taxing random peoples cars?

mathepac

Why not pay the dealer the cost of 3 month's tax, have him declare it off the road or whatever way he wants to deal with the arrears, then you collect it taxed and legal on Monday.

I agree, untaxed cars should not be allowed off the dealers' yards.

si_guru

Marcusm wrote: »

Hilarious. In the UK a dealer is not supposed to let the car off the lot without it being taxed. If this was the way in Ireland it might actually reduce motor tax evasion.

That's not quite true - However many new cars come with 1 months free insurance so the dealer can tax the car for the buyer. This is to simplify their admin, not prevent tax evasion of course.

What would reduce evasion here is no "imaginary or mythical" grace periods... or guards who sign cars off the road without any proof of no use.

SORN and ANPR is the only way to go ahead... then computers will do all the checking and guards can focus on other stuff.

Marcusm

si_guru wrote: »

That's not quite true - However many new cars come with 1 months free insurance so the dealer can tax the car for the buyer. This is to simplify their admin, not prevent tax evasion of course.

What would reduce evasion here is no "imaginary or mythical" grace periods... or guards who sign cars off the road without any proof of no use.

SORN and ANPR is the only way to go ahead... then computers will do all the checking and guards can focus on other stuff.

It's generally 7 days insurance and not only on new cars but on older ones as well. Its purpose is to ensure that tax can be obtained to drive the car off the lot. I live in the uk and have bought three cars here over the past 4 years.

Nissan doctor

A car has to be taxed if its being driven in a public place. Grace periods are a myth, they don't exist. However most garda would not make a big deal about tax being out by a week or two.

Tax has to be out of date for 2 months or above before they can impound the car for lack of tax alone.

Rob C

Sorry, I really can't see the Cops literally taking a car off you for having no tax if you've just bought the car! When you pay your first tax due it will be from the beginning of the month you bought it so you get away with nothing. If possible, have some kind of proof with you as to when you bought the car, the receipt as you've indicated would be good to have.

I have been stopped at many checkpoints over the years in cars without tax after just buying them in the previous few weeks, I have always found the AGS more than reasonable once I explained I only bought the car recently and that I was waiting on the VRC to come through to me.

MidlandsM

RoverJames wrote: »

I have been stopped at many checkpoints over the years in cars without tax after just buying them in the previous few weeks, I have always found the AGS more than reasonable once I explained I only bought the car recently and that I was waiting on the VRC to come through to me.

+1

it's all about how you approach the individual Garda, polite and honest etc.:pac:

L-M

George Dalton wrote: »

It depends on the guard you meet. We once sold someone a car at 2pm. It was taken off them at a checkpoint 6pm for no tax.

That's an absolute disgrace, just because we have a pox of a system someone gets punished. I've never heard anything of that sort before so, and I'm fairly sure if that was taken to court the Garda would lose.

George Dalton

In fairness I would say the guy could have done with following the advice posted by MidlandsM above. I would imagine his manner did him no favours when he was stopped. He wasn't the most polite or tactful fella you would ever meet, as I subsequently found out :rolleyes:

Rob C

You always risk getting a w***er of a Garda stopping you, but it really is about being nice and polite from the off. "Hi Gard, sorry I know there's no tax on the car, but I just bought it, I have the receipt here and I'm just waiting for the VRC to come through in the post and then I can sort the tax out"

That should sort it as it's totally reasonable and you're being polite. The vast majority of the Gardai are reasonable people.

MidlandsM

Rob C wrote: »

You always risk getting a w***er of a Garda stopping you, but it really is about being nice and polite from the off. "Hi Gard, sorry I know there's no tax on the car, but I just bought it, I have the receipt here and I'm just waiting for the VRC to come through in the post and then I can sort the tax out"

That should sort it as it's totally reasonable and you're being polite. The vast majority of the Gardai are reasonable people.

so true, shure at the end of the days they're ordinary blokes/girls like outrselves trying to get on with things.

@George, i had a feeling yer man must have pissed the guard right off to have the car lifted off of him!;)