Car with no tax

ROY RACE

So im interested in a car that has no tax for a year-am I just liable for tax from the day I register it?
also just wondering does the previous owner have to settle the tax that he hasnt paid or do they write it off?

thanks for any help

colm_mcm

ROY RACE wrote: »

So im interested in a car that has no tax for a year-am I just liable for tax from the day I register it?

Yes.

ROY RACE wrote: »

also just wondering does the previous owner have to settle the tax that he hasnt paid

No

bazz26

I seriously think there should be a sticky for this question as it pops up here at least a few times a day.

NickDunne

bazz26 wrote: »

I seriously think there should be a sticky for this question as it pops up here at least a few times a day.

You see sellers on DD advertise cars as SORN so the new owner "doesnt have to backtax it" :rolleyes: It makes no difference to new owner

MidlandsM

NickDunne wrote: »

You see sellers on DD advertise cars as SORN so the new owner "doesnt have to backtax it" :rolleyes: It makes no difference to new owner

the ignorance out there is bewildering.......

rovoagho

ROY RACE wrote: »

also just wondering does the previous owner have to settle the tax that he hasnt paid or do they write it off?

To correct the previous answer, the previous owner continues to be liable for motor tax they haven't paid, although it doesn't affect you. In the past, despite the legal liability, the motor tax departments don't seem to have chased it up. Hopefully with SORN they will.

colm_mcm

rovoagho wrote: »

To correct the previous answer, the previous owner continues to be liable for motor tax they haven't paid, although it doesn't affect you. In the past, despite the legal liability, the motor tax departments don't seem to have chased it up. Hopefully with SORN they will.

You're only really liable for back tax if the car is used in a public place under your ownership and you're caught or if you're taxing the car and haven't declared it off the road.

There has been absolutely no suggestion made by any state body that they intend to persue people who owned a car without tax or a SORD.
This nonsense was banded about last year when the new system came in, cue thousands of idiots trying to declare cars that would never again see a road, or cars that weren't even in their name to start with.

rebel.ranter

ROY RACE wrote: »

So im interested in a car that has no tax for a year-am I just liable for tax from the day I register it?

Just one slight correction on a previous poster's answer. you're not liable for tax prior to your ownership with one slight caveat.....

If you buy the car today 17/01/14 you have to tax it for the whole month of January, motor tax is paybale from the first day of the month regardless of what day the fee is paid & it will only cover up to the last day of the 3rd, 6th or 12th month, depending on what period you tax the car for.

rovoagho

colm_mcm wrote: »

You're only really liable for back tax if the car is used in a public place under your ownership and you're caught or if you're taxing the car and haven't declared it off the road.

Which is tax they haven't paid. Like I said.

There has been absolutely no suggestion made by any state body that they intend to persue people who owned a car without tax or a SORD.

Neither has there been any suggestion that they won't. And until the statute of limitations has expired, they're perfectly entitled to go looking for it.

I hope they do. I despise tax dodgers.

ironclaw

colm_mcm wrote: »

There has been absolutely no suggestion made by any state body that they intend to persue people who owned a car without tax or a SORD.
This nonsense was banded about last year when the new system came in, cue thousands of idiots trying to declare cars that would never again see a road, or cars that weren't even in their name to start with.

Personally I believe if a car is not declared off the road, people should be chased for the applicable back tax as long as the vehicle resides in their name. We are too lax in this country regarding motor tax and those of us that save to run and take pride in our cars regularly contend with people who seem to think not paying it is getting 'one up on the man' or some other BS. Tax is by far and away the cheapest part of running a car. I'd spend my motor tax bill in a little over 4 weeks on fuel alone. So I can never understand those that 'can't afford it'

colm_mcm

Reasons why that will never happen in Ireland:

1) it would require joined up thinking such as using PPS number to verify identity.

2) being Ireland, the cost to administer such a system would be more than we'd take in in tax in the first place

3) it would lead to people deliberately registering their cars in the wrong address (po boxes, friends addresses etc) or misspelling their name on the book to avoid whatever basic mechanism would be put in place. Knock on effect for tolling, gardai etc



There is a bigger problem though. The motor tax system of payment, collection etc is outdated.

colm_mcm

ironclaw wrote: »

Personally I believe if a car is not declared off the road, people should be chased for the applicable back tax as long as the vehicle resides in their name. We are too lax in this country regarding motor tax and those of us that save to run and take pride in our cars regularly contend with people who seem to think not paying it is getting 'one up on the man' or some other BS. Tax is by far and away the cheapest part of running a car. I'd spend my motor tax bill in a little over 4 weeks on fuel alone. So I can never understand those that 'can't afford it'

So what would happen if revenue or whoever rang you today and say
"Hello Mr. Ironclaw, just chasing up the tax you haven't paid for the last 5 years on 96D12345"
You then explain that you sold the car 5 years ago, they tell you its still in your name at your old address etc etc.

corktina

No what happens is you would be required to make a declaration witnessed by a Notary that you had sold the car. In my case, they would not accept this as I could not state who I had sold it to or the date...could anyone do this after a few years ? I was informed that the car would stay in my name and be my responsibility until it was properly registered in it's new owners name. Frtunately I know it's been scrapped for parts.

ironclaw

colm_mcm wrote: »

So what would happen if revenue or whoever rang you today and say
"Hello Mr. Ironclaw, just chasing up the tax you haven't paid for the last 5 years on 96D12345"
You then explain that you sold the car 5 years ago, they tell you its still in your name at your old address etc etc.

Well, as a responsible adult its up to me to ensure that a car I don't use / own is not registered in my name. Same for example as a firearm, you don't have your name to something you don't own. And there are means and methods of verifying that I don't have / use / own said car as proof.

But I appreciate what you are saying, agree with all points raised about collection methods etc etc. I just don't agree with people being able to own a car, not pay tax for a few months and then sell it.

I know we debated it before, but what is to be said that a car cannot be sold without 3 months tax remaining? So when the log book gets sent in, its simply a check and if outstanding, won't be processed. Could easily have a system to verify for buyers that the tax is current (VIN / License plate etc) to avoid people using fake discs etc. I think it would go a long way to curb this practise if people thought they couldn't sell a car without tax or being officially declared off the road.