Question about car tax out for months

Packrat

Hello guys, here is my problem:

I have a 4x4 which has been off the road since I bought it last September. I didn't declare it off the road as I thought it would be ready for test sooner (have been gradually repairing and modifying it since then)
If I now sell it to a buddy and then buy it back a week later can the motor tax office overrule thus and make me pay the back tax which is significant money at this stage?
Has anyone done this and if so what was the attitude when it came to taxing it?

slimjimmc

Won't be an issue with the Motor Tax however it will probably take longer than a week for the registration cert to be posted to your friend.

Atlantic Dawn

Once sold the arrears are gone and stay gone, don't transfer back if the car should come back in to your ownership.

CiniO

You can sell it and buy it back no problem.
I'm not sure though if you manage to make it within a week, as it usually takes longer for VRC to arrive.

You will only pay tax from the moment you become registered owner after you buy it.

Packrat

So basically this is the new version of the old "garda off the road form" then: no issues?

To add a further layer of complexity to the problem, it will be changing taxation class and I already got the engineers report (350 euro) so it will be blatantly obvious what I'm doing...
The engineers report is crucial to taxing it in the different class..

*Kol*

I hardly think the people in the tax office will make any fuss about that. They won't know that you were a previous owner.

CiniO

*Kol* wrote: »

I hardly think the people in the tax office will make any fuss about that. They won't know that you were a previous owner.

Even if they knew, what could they do?

corktina

it's the way the system is set up, you're not doing anything wrong, it's up to the powers-that-be to close the loophole

CiniO

corktina wrote: »

it's the way the system is set up, you're not doing anything wrong, it's up to the powers-that-be to close the loophole

Technically it would be quite hard.

What they should have done in the first place, was instead of introducing some stupid declarations complicated system which clearly is not working, they should have scrapped any declarations (in advance or retrospective) completely, and just start enforcing the law and issue heavy penalties for people driving without tax.
Really simple - you can have your vehicle taxed or not taxed. It's up to you. If you have it untaxed for a while, and then tax it, you don't need to declare anything or pay any arrears.
All what you need to obey is not to drive when vehicle is untaxed. If you are caught driving, then fine is really high. And chances of being caught should be high as well. That's all. And this would work.
Otherwise it's not going to work.

*Kol*

CiniO wrote: »

Technically it would be quite hard.

What they should have done in the first place, was instead of introducing some stupid declarations complicated system which clearly is not working, they should have scrapped any declarations (in advance or retrospective) completely, and just start enforcing the law and issue heavy penalties for people driving without tax.
Really simple - you can have your vehicle taxed or not taxed. It's up to you. If you have it untaxed for a while, and then tax it, you don't need to declare anything or pay any arrears.
All what you need to obey is not to drive when vehicle is untaxed. If you are caught driving, then fine is really high. And chances of being caught should be high as well. That's all. And this would work.
Otherwise it's not going to work.

Jaysus I don't like the sound of that. Keep that system to yourself please!!

_Brian

CiniO wrote: »

Technically it would be quite hard.

What they should have done in the first place, was instead of introducing some stupid declarations complicated system which clearly is not working, they should have scrapped any declarations (in advance or retrospective) completely, and just start enforcing the law and issue heavy penalties for people driving without tax.
Really simple - you can have your vehicle taxed or not taxed. It's up to you. If you have it untaxed for a while, and then tax it, you don't need to declare anything or pay any arrears.
All what you need to obey is not to drive when vehicle is untaxed. If you are caught driving, then fine is really high. And chances of being caught should be high as well. That's all. And this would work.
Otherwise it's not going to work.

I like this.
I'm sick and tired of people dodging their responsibility in this issue. We scrimp and budget to keep two cars taxed and legal on te road. It makes a mockery of the system to see so many cars untaxed.
In our local town I can walk down the street and see 8-10 un taxed vehicles any time I'm in town.
It's a really irish system, it's the law to have tax, but it's too much bother to enforce it, well maybe an odd time.

jca

CiniO wrote: »

Technically it would be quite hard.

What they should have done in the first place, was instead of introducing some stupid declarations complicated system which clearly is not working, they should have scrapped any declarations (in advance or retrospective) completely, and just start enforcing the law and issue heavy penalties for people driving without tax.
Really simple - you can have your vehicle taxed or not taxed. It's up to you. If you have it untaxed for a while, and then tax it, you don't need to declare anything or pay any arrears.
All what you need to obey is not to drive when vehicle is untaxed. If you are caught driving, then fine is really high. And chances of being caught should be high as well. That's all. And this would work.
Otherwise it's not going to work.

It won't work because people just won't bother taxing their car they'll just take their chances as always. There would have to be some kind of window to allow for change of ownership to go through.

*Kol*

_Brian wrote: »

I like this.
I'm sick and tired of people dodging their responsibility in this issue. We scrimp and budget to keep two cars taxed and legal on te road. It makes a mockery of the system to see so many cars untaxed.
In our local town I can walk down the street and see 8-10 un taxed vehicles any time I'm in town.
It's a really irish system, it's the law to have tax, but it's too much bother to enforce it, well maybe an odd time.

It should be the way to go, however it will be the likes of you and me who always have tax that will get caught for being Teo weeks out of date while the 8-10 cars you see as you walk down the road remain untaxed. It's Murphy's law. Unless you do some kind of a transfer of ownership scam or declare off the road it's difficult to get out of taxing your car these days.