Customs called me regarding VRT

C_Breeze

I just got a weird fone call from somebody from a Dublin number (01)877 xxxx stating they are from customs.


In mid Feb i bought a Honda Civic from the UK . I went to VRT it around March/April ... but as i only got half of the V5 reg cert from the seller they were unable to VRT it for me. They gave me a 1month exemption and told me i have to get a Full V5 doc to be able to VRT it . I now have the full V5 and can get it registered if I want , but the car is off the road . so i dont want to pay ~2,000 in vrt just yet, as i frankly cant afford that right now! ... i have a second Irish reg'd car that i use so as not to drive the UK civic so there is no need to VRT it jsut now as the civic is off the road in my garden beside the wall!

So the guy calls me in a Firm voice, and says they have it on the system from when i tried to get it VRT'd the first time and its still showing up as non-vrtd .

I told him its off the road and i have another irish car which is my daily driver until I VRT the civic and that i didnt know I was obliged to VRT straight away. He said it doesnt matter, I am illegaly in possesion of a foreign registered car with a really harsh tone have to Pay VRT for it even if its off the road.

I was polite and told him in a nice tone, i basically still dont have the papers and i called the DVLA and they said it will take a further 4-6 weeks as they have backlogs until i receive the V5 (lie) and gave him a bit of a sob story, i said it needs a bit of work which i want to do before i VRT it and its been one headache after another (again a lie)

he seemed to understand then he spoke to me nicely and said "oh right ok , no bother , thanks bye now"



I didnt know i was obliged to pay the VRT straight away if it is off the road and am not driving it! Can anyone confirm


Any ideas what to make of that?


thnks

Gregor Samsa

All motor vehicles in the State, other than those brought in temporarily by visitors, must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners.

If you bring a vehicle into Ireland from abroad you must register it and pay VRT by the end of the next working day following its arrival in the State.

http://www.revenue.ie/index.htm?/services/bus_cust5.htm

Pretty clear cut, IMHO.

Stephen

Yeah, its not like the motor tax situation where you can declare it off the road.

C_Breeze

Well thats's stupid because would I not have gone up to VRT it initially, it wouldnt even have been on the system and i wouldn't have gotten a threatning call of some randomer. - They wouldnt even have known about the car!

So can I be summonsed to court or whats the deal? Unfortunately I really cant afford to fork out the money right now for VRT for a car which im not even driving and is on PRIVATE ground. ? ... Its not a matter that i dont want to but i just cant at the moment!

MrPudding

C_Breeze wrote:

Well its stupid becuase if i wouldnt have gone up initially to VRT it , it wouldnt even have been on the system and i wouldnt have gotten a threatning call of some randomer. They wouldnt even have known about the car.

So can i be summonsed to court or whats the deal? Unfortunately I really cant afford to fork out the money right now for VRT for a car which im not driving and is on PRIVATE ground. ?

Is the private ground in another country? If yes, then you are probably OK.

MrP

C_Breeze

MrPudding wrote:

Is the private ground in another country? If yes, then you are probably OK.

MrP

Well theres an idea... I can say the I left the car in my friends house in Belfast, UK! Thanks !

godtabh

C_Breeze wrote:

So can I be summonsed to court or whats the deal? Unfortunately I really cant afford to fork out the money right now for VRT for a car which im not even driving and is on PRIVATE ground. ? ... Its not a matter that i dont want to but i just cant at the moment!

Did you not have the money in the first place to pay the VRT?

neacy69

Could you say the deal fell through and you have no longer got the car or that you sold it on?

astraboy

Load of bull**** that you have to pat VRT on a car parked on your private ground. What if you wanted to keep it as a hen house? Would you need to pay VRt then?! If you are not using the car tell them where to go. Worst case they may come and look for the car to repossess it(doubtful as of yet though) in which case you move it to a friends house. Screw them and their illegal tax.

nanook

dont think that is really not a good attitude to have with Customs, (not flaming you I swear) but I have had some dealing with the customs over the years, and if you are straight with them then they are usually ok.

I was unable to open the link but from what the conversation says, and from what I know, you usually have 24 hours to VRT a car from when it enters Ireland.

If it is off the road, then leave it untill they come knocking on your door. But dont leave it tooo long before you get it cleared.

Always remember one thing, they have the authority/power to impound your car, be straight with them.

Oryx

nanook wrote:

Always remember one thing, they have the authority/power to impound your car, be straight with them.

They have a lovely little compound down in Rosslare (and im sure other places) that they keep impounded cars in. So it does happen that they are taken. Im afraid you seem to be unlucky in that they know about you, so theyre going to bug you about it. (Its like the tv licence, once your on the system, they have you).

And the law (as linked to above) is correct. Unless you have a TAN number you have to register the vehicle by the next working day.

Henry Ford III

astraboy wrote:

Load of bull**** that you have to pat VRT on a car parked on your private ground. What if you wanted to keep it as a hen house? Would you need to pay VRt then?! If you are not using the car tell them where to go. Worst case they may come and look for the car to repossess it(doubtful as of yet though) in which case you move it to a friends house. Screw them and their illegal tax.

I hate VRT, but the law, offensive to some as it is, is clearcut.

blastman

What if you import a car with the intention of using it as a race/track car only? If it's not being driven on the road, why does it need to be VRTed?

Hypothetical question, I'm just wondering if there is a provison for something legitimate like that.

astraboy

blastman wrote:

What if you import a car with the intention of using it as a race/track car only? If it's not being driven on the road, why does it need to be VRTed?

Hypothetical question, I'm just wondering if there is a provison for something legitimate like that.

I believe there is a clause in the leglisation for cars to be bought over for competition use or show/promotion use. I'm not sure how long you are allowed to do this for however. Perhaps the duration of a competiton season? I remember digging it up on Driver.ie, if you ask over there one of the Drift lads will be able to tell you as they have looked into it. If the car is going from Track-Home and back on a trailer, and you are not on the system, then you should not get hassel. As said above I hate VRT but the "law" is clearcut.

whippet

VRT is a regristration tax not a road tax, therefore once the car is in the state either the VRT has to be paid unless one of the few exemptions apply.

It is clear cut, if you bring in a car and use it as a hen house, that is your choice but the VRT requirments are there in black and white.

galwaytt

C_Breeze wrote:

I just got a weird fone call from somebody from a Dublin number (01)877 xxxx stating they are from customs.

In mid Feb i bought a Honda Civic from the UK . I went to VRT it around March/April problem no. 1....breaking VRT law....you only have 24hrs to do it.... ... but as i only got half of the V5 reg cert from the seller they were unable to VRT it for me. They gave me a 1month exemption and told me i have to get a Full V5 doc to be able to VRT it . I now have the full V5 problem no 2....no justification for not paying it now, then....... and can get it registered if I want , but the car is off the road . so i dont want to pay problem no3.......not up to you, actually.........~2,000 in vrt just yet, as i frankly cant afford that right now! have the money, but can't afford it ??... i have a second Irish reg'd car that i use so as not to drive the UK civic so there is no need to VRT it jsut now problem no 4 - it's not up to you.......as the civic is off the road in my garden beside the wall!

So the guy calls me in a Firm voice, and says they have it on the system from when i tried to get it VRT'd the first time and its still showing up as non-vrtd .

I told him its off the road and i have another irish car which is my daily driver until I VRT the civic and that i didnt know I was obliged to VRT straight away. He said it doesnt matter, I am illegaly in possesion of a foreign registered car with a really harsh tone have to Pay VRT for it even if its off the road.he's correct

I was polite and told him in a nice tone, i basically still dont have the papers and i called the DVLA and they said it will take a further 4-6 weeks as they have backlogs until i receive the V5 (lie) interesting: lying to Revenue, and then posting it on the internet. and gave him a bit of a sob story, i said it needs a bit of work which i want to do before i VRT it and its been one headache after another (again a lie)just in case you missed the last comment.......:rolleyes:.........oh, and you've just i.d.'d yourself as well. Excellent strategy - a Civic they know of, and they've a record of your "reasons" for non VRT payment........and this post. Fabulous, just fabulous.

he seemed to understand then he spoke to me nicely and said "oh right ok , no bother , thanks bye now"



I didnt know i was obliged to pay the VRT straight awayas stated by several people, it's in black and white. And no-one believes you bought a car in the UK without some idea of the fact you'd have to pay VRT. if it is off the road and am not driving it! Can anyone confirm


Any ideas what to make of that? The internet is too small to go into that right now..........


thnks

QED, methinks.

C_Breeze

................oh, and you've just i.d.'d yourself as well. Excellent strategy - a Civic they know of, and they've a record of your "reasons" for non VRT payment........and this post. Fabulous, just fabulous.


How exactly have i "just Id'd myself" ... and how do they have a "record of my reasons" ?

Gatster

Hmm, I wonder if the customs bloke phones all the irish car dealers that have UK reg'd cars sat on their forecourts, albeit with the plates probably removed.

galwaytt

fwiw traders don't have to VRT cars until they sell them. Different rules for traders.

As for i.d., let's see.........they have a Civic listed as pending VRT, your phone number, your in Blanch area (afaik........)...........not going to be a long list on an excel sheet somewhere of Civics in that area that they have the contact details of.......and isn't VRT'd.

And of course, a reverse look up on your phone number.

Oh, and they have internet access..........methinks they could find your door in..........30 mins?

Gatster

fwiw traders don't have to VRT cars until they sell them. Different rules for traders.

One rule for them, one rule for...

There you go then OP, just tell them you've become a dealer

ciarsd

So does this mean that a majority of non-irish plated cars will be getting a call off revenue to re-register (even though most would qualify for VRT exemption, at least they could contribute to road taxes for use of the roads much like ourselves and participate in the Penalty Points system).

C_Breeze

galwaytt wrote:

fwiw traders don't have to VRT cars until they sell them. Different rules for traders.

As for i.d., let's see.........they have a Civic listed as pending VRT, your phone number, your in Blanch area (afaik........)...........not going to be a long list on an excel sheet somewhere of Civics in that area that they have the contact details of.......and isn't VRT'd.

And of course, a reverse look up on your phone number.

Oh, and they have internet access..........methinks they could find your door in..........30 mins?

Fair point. But a lot of people have internet access.

How would they know to look on boards.ie motoring forum and search for "C_Breeze" ... if iyou're so convinced its that easy why dont you knock on my door within the next 30 mins. This isnt CSI you know

... FYI , car is now garaged in my friends house in Belfast ... who knows, i might even sell it to him.

Henry Ford III

Gatster wrote:

One rule for them, one rule for...

There you go then OP, just tell them you've become a dealer

That won't work either. All sorts of issues arise. Premises, tax registration, VAT, public liability, yada yada yada....

peasant

Had a similar issue with a camper once.

Went to the VRO on Friday (day after arrival), got all the paperwork sorted only to find they didn't take credit cards, so was to return on Monday with cheque.

On Saturday I found that my camper had serious issues and that I would have to take it back to the dealer in Germany.

Rang the VRO and told them and they were perfectly ok with me not paying.
The camper stayed outside my house for a few months until I sorted all the hassle with the dealer and I never heard from the VRT office again.

I did not drive it though and eventually it left the country again.

C_Breeze

peasant wrote:

Had a similar issue with a camper once.

Went to the VRO on Friday (day after arrival), got all the paperwork sorted only to find they didn't take credit cards, so was to return on Monday with cheque.

On Saturday I found that my camper had serious issues and that I would have to take it back to the dealer in Germany.

Rang the VRO and told them and they were perfectly ok with me not paying.
The camper stayed outside my house for a few months until I sorted all the hassle with the dealer and I never heard from the VRT office again.

I did not drive it though and eventually it left the country again.

Exactly,

I had the money to pay the VRT and I went up to pay it, but i didnt have the full V5 (was my 1st time so i didnt know) so while i applied for a new V5 and was told i need to wait 1-2 motnhs for it.. i figured i might aswell set the civic up for the NCT, it did actually need work (the shocks were gone and it needed new barke discs and pads all round) . I'm a hardworking person and believe me i would pay it if i could afford it(id like to be driving this car ASAP) but currently I already have an irish reg car and I need to sort some other personal issues and financial commitments out before i can afford to fork out 2000 euro in vrt for a car which is not being driven or even on a even on a public road for that matter. I explained all that to the customs guy (in a more imaginative way) and he seemed fine with it..

I dont know what crawled up galwaytt's ass this mornin tho.

Oryx

Gatster wrote:

Hmm, I wonder if the customs bloke phones all the irish car dealers that have UK reg'd cars sat on their forecourts, albeit with the plates probably removed.

They probably have TAN numbers, which allow it.

So does this mean that a majority of non-irish plated cars will be getting a call off revenue to re-register

Non resident users are allowed to drive non-irish plated cars, which I suppose is why its hard for the gardai to spot the unregged irish-driven ones.

ciarsd

KtK wrote:

Non resident users are allowed to drive non-irish plated cars, which I suppose is why its hard for the gardai to spot the unregged irish-driven ones.

You mis-quoted me omitting the all important 2nd part of the sentence..

ciarsd wrote:

So does this mean that a majority of non-irish plated cars will be getting a call off revenue to re-register (even though most would qualify for VRT exemption, at least they could contribute to road taxes for use of the roads much like ourselves and participate in the Penalty Points system).

Oryx

ciarsd wrote:

You mis-quoted me omitting the all important 2nd part of the sentence..

No harm intended by the misquote

What I would be referring to really, are holidaymakers/ people passing thru, rather than anyone who intends staying here permanently. Obviously such people arent going to rereg a car for a short or medium term visit here. But they are still on the roads legitimately, meaning a gardai cannot simply assume all foreign cars should be vrtd.

ciarsd

KtK wrote:

No harm intended by the misquote

What I would be referring to really, are holidaymakers/ people passing thru, rather than anyone who intends staying here permanently. Obviously such people arent going to rereg a car for a short or medium term visit here. But they are still on the roads legitimately, meaning a gardai cannot simply assume all foreign cars should be vrtd.

No harm taken

Agreed with your comments above, but I am sure there is a way if there was the same sort of 'go-get' attitude with the Revenue towards Eastern European reg'd cars (where the majority of owners are blatently flouting the law), as there is towards residents who've imported.
Afterall, these cars are using the roads as much as anyone else, so should pay their dues accordingly. Fair is fair.

craichoe

galwaytt wrote:

fwiw traders don't have to VRT cars until they sell them. Different rules for traders.

As for i.d., let's see.........they have a Civic listed as pending VRT, your phone number, your in Blanch area (afaik........)...........not going to be a long list on an excel sheet somewhere of Civics in that area that they have the contact details of.......and isn't VRT'd.

And of course, a reverse look up on your phone number.

Oh, and they have internet access..........methinks they could find your door in..........30 mins?

Everything in this post needs a Court Order i'm afraid.
Customs cannot just ring up Eircom and get your address from your phone number. Data Protection Act. They'll tell the Gardai to p*ss off as well without a court order.

unkel

ciarsd wrote:

towards Eastern European reg'd cars (where the majority of owners are blatently flouting the law), as there is towards residents who've imported.
Afterall, these cars are using the roads as much as anyone else, so should pay their dues accordingly. Fair is fair.

There used to be a lot of EE reg'd cars around where I live (Lucan). That's no longer the case. This is my own observation though, I've nothing to back it up

Many of the EE reg'd cars would have been exempt from VRT, but I'm guessing the owners didn't take that offer because of other costs involved in driving around in an Irish reg'd car...