Motor tax due after off road declaration

Kingjjj

Hello,

I just bought a new car (end October), imported from Northern Ireland. I noticed that the motor tax is due from 1 October. (Seems unfair for a car I've only owned for a day!)

I won't need the car until next week (from November). I was thinking I'll declare it off the road until then but noticed that the minimum off road declaration is 3 months.

Does anyone know what happens if I declare it back on the road from next week (November). Do I pay motor tax from 1 November, or do they back date it to 1 October?

Thanks!
John

PS - What's with the long wait times for NCT bookings?! Earliest I could find around Dublin was in January 2015!

unkel

Hi John and welcome to boards.ie

You owe motor tax from the first day of the month that you bought the car. So you owe motor tax from 1st October. There's no (legal or moral) way around it!

As for the NCT, make the booking and keep proof of the booking with you in case you get stopped by Gardai. Try ringing the NCT / try their website early in the morning (around 8AM), cancellations are released around that time and it is quite likely you can change your booking to an earlier date

cerastes

Cant a person buy a vehicle and declare it off the road immediately if there is no tax on it? assuming they trailer it around or never had it on the road.

slimjimmc

unkel wrote: »

Hi John and welcome to boards.ie

You owe motor tax from the first day of the month that you bought the car. So you owe motor tax from 1st October. There's no (legal or moral) way around it!

As for the NCT, make the booking and keep proof of the booking with you in case you get stopped by Gardai. Try ringing the NCT / try their website early in the morning (around 8AM), cancellations are released around that time and it is quite likely you can change your booking to an earlier date

There is indeed, both legally and morally. So long as he keeps the car off the road the law allows him to declare the car off the road within the first 10 days of ownership and not be liable for motor tax at all until he puts it back on the road.

OP, it doesn't matter that the minimum declaration is for 3 months, you can put the car back on the road any month during that period and only be liable for tax from the 1st of that month.

unkel

slimjimmc wrote: »

There is indeed, both legally and morally.

Only if the car has not been on the public road in this country since the OP bought it. He doesn't mention it, it could have been trailered, but I doubt it

Kingjjj wrote: »

Seems unfair for a car I've only owned for a day!

Kinda gives me the feeling the OP is trying to evade taxes he owes, although I might very well be wrong there...