Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q and A)

L-M

wrcarter wrote: »

Ok no need to worry then. Cheers.

What’s the exact spec of the car? Did you look through the different models to see if you could find it?

Happened once also they just “couldn’t find it”

wrcarter

L-M wrote: »

What’s the exact spec of the car? Did you look through the different models to see if you could find it?

Happened once also they just “couldn’t find it”

I couldn’t find it either. It’s a Land Rover 110 so it should be the standard €200. It’s probably been removed from the system. I’m just hoping they haven’t decided to increase it like on some higher value classics.

L-M

Oh sorry, that.

No you’ll be fine.

User1998

A bit of good news I suppose

https://www.am-online.com/news/latest-news/2021/01/13/government-reinstates-vat-margin-scheme-for-ni-used-car-dealers

Isambard

User1998 wrote: »

A bit of good news I suppose

https://www.am-online.com/news/latest-news/2021/01/13/government-reinstates-vat-margin-scheme-for-ni-used-car-dealers

the last line of that is interesting. Will the EU really want to stop the import of GB cars to the Republic ? Bit of a Freudian slip perhaps? I'm sure Customs will be examining every car's details very closely looking for an excuse to charge VAT on an imported car from GB via NI.

User1998

If a NI dealer or resident imports a car from the UK and registers it in their own name and changes the car to NI plates, and has the relevant customs declarations, I don’t see how Revenue could charge VAT or customs when its brought down south?

pale rider

User1998 wrote: »

If a NI dealer or resident imports a car from the UK and registers it in their own name and changes the car to NI plates, and has the relevant customs declarations, I don’t see how Revenue could charge VAT or customs when its brought down south?

I agree now that this change has been confirmed, regardless its the WLTP impact that stopped me dead from looking at an import, an exercise on the Revenue VRt site on a sample car is eye watering compared to a fortnight ago...another world actually.

User1998

So after reading that article, I’m fairly certain a dealer here in Ireland could set up a sister company up North, import and register the vehicle up North free of charge, and then sell the vehicle to the company down South who can register the car without incurring VAT or customs.

Alternatively dealers here can buy VAT qualifying cars from auction, reclaim the UK VAT and pay Irish VAT, but will also be hit with a 10% customs fee.

Northern dealers can import the vehicle and sell to Irish customers as normal. The only change is that they will have to register the car in NI and register it in their name and have the relevant customs declarations etc.

For private individuals wanting to import from the mainland, you will have to be friends with someone up North who will register the car up there and ‘sell’ it to you. I’m sure there will be companies set up that will import and register the car for a set fee and then ‘sell’ the car to you, or something along those lines.

As regards to the WLTP stuff, there are lots of low emitting cars that escape the increased VRT. Theres no excuse for that these days, there are lots of hybrid alternatives now. For example if you want a 520d you should just get a 530e if your not happy with the VRT, etc etc

Am I missing something?

galwaytt

User1998 wrote: »

So after reading that article, I’m fairly certain a dealer here in Ireland could set up a sister company up North, import and register the vehicle up North free of charge, and then sell the vehicle to the company down South who can register the car without incurring VAT or customs.

Alternatively dealers here can buy VAT qualifying cars from auction, reclaim the UK VAT and pay Irish VAT, but will also be hit with a 10% customs fee.

For private individuals you will have to be friends with someone up North who will register the car up there and ‘sell’ it to us. I’m sure there will be companies set up that will import and register the car for a set fee and then ‘sell’ the car to us, or something along those lines.

As regards to the WLTP stuff, there are lots of low emitting cars that escape the increased VRT. Theres no excuse for that these days, there are lots of hybrid alternatives now. For example if you want a 520d you should just get a 530e if your not happy with the VRT, etc etc

Am I missing something?

Oh I'm sure you're right, furtive minds are looking at the smal print for workarounds even as we speak.

All imports will still go up though, it's just a case of by how much.

As for Revenue, well you can be sure they'll be watching - any goods imported to NI 'ultimately' destined for RoI will get clobbered.

Covit

The loop hole will be left as open as possible to use Ireland as there dumping ground . The English have no interest in 3 year old cars that we will gladly take all day .
There driving new cars for what were paying for there secondhands a pyramid scheme set up by governments . It’s fraud of highest nature on people .

Hogzy

I think ye are forgetting that there is a customs border in the Irish sea. So if a car is imported from Great Britain into Northern Ireland then the Northern Ireland importer will still need to pay VAT (and duty?). Now the UK government have come out and said that VAT will only be due on the difference between what the Northern irish importer bought it for and sells it for. So if NI company buys a car from the UK for £10,000 and sells it in northern Ireland for £12,000 VAT is only paid on the difference of £2,000. its called the VAT margin scheme in the UK. Also, that scheme doesnt apply to individuals, only traders. So the idea of getting a friend to register the car in their own name in Northern Ireland and then sell it to you in the Republic is a non runner.

All in all the price of used cars in northern Ireland is going to go up.

Article here in the Irish times giving a good explanation of it.

deezell

Covit wrote: »

The loop hole will be left as open as possible to use Ireland as there dumping ground . The English have no interest in 3 year old cars that we will gladly take all day .
There driving new cars for what were paying for there secondhands a pyramid scheme set up by governments . It’s fraud of highest nature on people .

It's this horsesh1t talk about 'dumping' that got us the increased VRT and in particular the draconian Nox charges. We had highly taxed new cars, even more so now. We had a source of very affordable used cars of a quality and spec well in excess of our indigenous stock. Dealers were pissed at the private importing and drop in new sales, and peddled this 'dumping' line. No one mentioned the fact that a used car of irish pedigree had the same emissions as its matching UK brother. 'Smokey' imports and 'dumping' were the weaponised language used. Thanks to talk like that, your budget will now stretch to a used car with 30% less spec, and probably 2 years older than you could previously afford.

User1998

Hogzy wrote: »

I think ye are forgetting that there is a customs border in the Irish sea. So if a car is imported from Great Britain into Northern Ireland then the Northern Ireland importer will still need to pay VAT (and duty?). Now the UK government have come out and said that VAT will only be due on the difference between what the Northern irish importer bought it for and sells it for. So if NI company buys a car from the UK for £10,000 and sells it in northern Ireland for £12,000 VAT is only paid on the difference of £2,000. its called the VAT margin scheme in the UK

The Margin scheme has been around forever tho up North? And now its been confirmed that its going to continue, so I don’t see why it would be any different now? Open to correction of course

User1998

deezell wrote: »

It's this horsesh1t talk about 'dumping' that got us the increased VRT and in particular the draconian Nox charges. We had highly taxed new cars, even more so now. We had a source of very affordable used cars of a quality and spec well in excess of our indigenous stock. Dealers were pissed at the private importing and drop in new sales, and peddled this 'dumping' line. No one mentioned the fact that a used car of irish pedigree had the same emissions as its matching UK brother. 'Smokey' imports and 'dumping' were the weaponised language used. Thanks to talk like that, your budget will now stretch to a used car with 30% less spec, and probably 2 years older than you could previously afford.

Yep. Not to mention that in the long run buying brand new cars in Ireland will do a lot more damage to the environment then buying 3 year old cars from the UK that don’t have to be manufactured all over again and shipped half way across the world.

Hogzy

User1998 wrote: »

The Margin scheme has been around forever tho up North? And now its been confirmed that its going to continue, so I don’t see why it would be any different now? Open to correction of course

Yeah it has, but there was confusion with traders as to what value to apply VAT to. Under strict interpretation the trade agreement you would think VAT would be calculated on the full value of the car but the UK government came out today and said the Margin Scheme would continue for people in Northern Ireland, which clarified the confusion. It'll be interesting to see if the margin scheme will be extended to other types of goods aswell. It'll definetly cushion the blow of the extreme markups that would have been charged if VAT on the full value of cars had to be charged again.

deezell

User1998 wrote: »

Yep. Not to mention that in the long run buying brand new cars in Ireland will do a lot more damage to the environment then buying 3 year old cars from the UK that don’t have to be manufactured all over again and shipped half way across the world.

Plus, if our national fleet average age drops significantly, we'll have far higher emissions due to age and deteriorating performance of the vehicles, not to mention the safety of older worn cars, barely scraping their NCT. Last time we were in that boat the govt had to forego large amounts of new car VRT in the form of 'scrappage' deals. Just stop f***ing ripping us off, all the time.

hotrodder

deezell wrote: »

Plus, if our national fleet average age drops significantly, we'll have far higher emissions due to age and deteriorating performance of the vehicles, not to mention the safety of older worn cars, barely scraping their NCT. Last time we were in that boat the govt had to forego large amounts of new car VRT in the form of 'scrappage' deals. Just stop f***ing ripping us off, all the time.

What do I need if I am buying a Uk car from a northern garage. Car is in their stock since November. Will I have to pay vat.

KCross

User1998 wrote: »

Yep. Not to mention that in the long run buying brand new cars in Ireland will do a lot more damage to the environment then buying 3 year old cars from the UK that don’t have to be manufactured all over again and shipped half way across the world.

How so?

By buying that second hand car you are enabling someone up the chain in the UK to buy a new one.... its the same end result in terms of the volume of cars that are "needed" on the roads and that have to be manufactured, except the UK get the ones with the lower emissions.

pale rider

hotrodder wrote: »

What do I need if I am buying a Uk car from a northern garage. Car is in their stock since November. Will I have to pay vat.

No VAT on that purchase on that car.

hotrodder

pale rider wrote: »

hotrodder wrote: »

What do I need if I am buying a Uk car from a northern garage. Car is in their stock since November. Will I have to pay vat.

No VAT on that purchase on that car.

What do I need from garage to prove that to revenue

Isambard

safer to ask Revenue. No one really knows for sure.

skydish79

For Southern Ireland Customers Only ;
Registration Tax Total
CO2 VRT Charges
€5,404
NOx VRT Charge
€285
Vehicle Registration Tax
(payable on enquiry)
€5,689 at time of advertising .

Looking at skoda kodiaq from northern ireland

I presume the co2 and nox charges 5404 and 285 = 5689

Is there any other charge to be added on ( the vehicle registration tax is that to be paid as well?)

L-M

Sounds very small VRT for a Kodiaq did you get those figures yourself

skydish79

L-M wrote: »

Sounds very small VRT for a Kodiaq did you get those figures yourself

No those the figures advertised

https://www.usedcarsni.com/2017-Skoda-Kodiaq-SE-TDI-SCR-4X4-274005679?keywords=&make=28&model=191819038&fuel_type=0&trans_type=0&age_from=0&age_to=0&price_from=0&price_to=0&user_type=0&mileage_to=0&body_style=0&keywords=&location%5B%5D=0&location%5B%5D=0&homepage_search_attr=1&tab_id=0&search_type=1

L-M

Last years figures there I’d say.

The VRT snow is 6900 plus nox

dollylama

I've been told today that taking a second-hand vehicle in from the UK may be liable to an additional tariff on import based on the country of origin of the vehicle. It was summarised to me that take a VW for example, built in Germany or Belgium or elsewhere in mainland Europe and sold originally into the UK, importing this car out of the UK and into Ireland would get hit with a tariff from the country the car was built in!

Can anyone confirm if this is true? We don't mind the VAT and duties on import as it's a business purchase but a non-refundable tariff stings a little

L-M

skydish79 wrote: »

No those the figures advertised

https://www.usedcarsni.com/2017-Skoda-Kodiaq-SE-TDI-SCR-4X4-274005679?keywords=&make=28&model=191819038&fuel_type=0&trans_type=0&age_from=0&age_to=0&price_from=0&price_to=0&user_type=0&mileage_to=0&body_style=0&keywords=&location%5B%5D=0&location%5B%5D=0&homepage_search_attr=1&tab_id=0&search_type=1

There’s a 181 in Finbarr Galvin with half the mileage for not much more

Isambard

not really worth importing anymore.

deezell

Isambard wrote: »

not really worth importing anymore.

That would be a fair final summary of the state of affairs.

salmonorcod

Have vrt next week are the current estimates on the online calculator up to date with the 2021 changes? Thanks