Can someone please advise if this is possible to avoid the dreaded VRT.

I moved to Dublin 2 years ago from the UK to work and brought my car over and got Irish plates without paying VRT, cause I owned the car for more than 6 months and had bank statements etc to prove it.

I'd like to sell this one and bring another UK car over without paying the VRT:

Could I get a family member to buy a car, keep it for 6 months in the UK, then they come across to Ireland saying they're planning to find work (have their bank statements etc) pass over the car registration document to the VRT office ( I had a 2nd copy of mine), say they're staying at my address in Dublin until they find work but that they want Irish plates. Then they leave to return to the UK and I drive the car (registered by them) for 1 year ( i know about not being able to sell the car for 1 year) and then get the car registered over to me after the year.

I can't remember if I had to show the VRT office my PPS number

Is this possible or quite dodgy?

It sounds fairly dodgy to me - surely you'd be telling lies to avoid taxes?

thanks for getting back,

yeah I thought it might be a bit dodgy but wondered if you or anyone else had a plan that is legitimate but the rules can be bent slightly.

Surely you would think that if the car dealerships opened on a sunday, then being the busiest day of the week, they'd sell more cars, get more money for them and the government and it would be cause to argue to drive the prices down eventually.

Dealerships must make a mint here for being lazy!!

Hi Scotlander.

What was that about having to show your bank statements when you apply to register the car? We are in process of this and were hoping to have the V5 backdated to make it a 6 month period of ownership... having to produce a bank statement would scupper that plan... as far as I look at it, the government of any given country will go out of its way to gather tax from various dubious sources, so it is our duty as citizens to avoid paying it by any means ;o)

yes it is possible do not ask for specific bank statements only that had car for 6 months and inireland can insure car not registerd in own name and can say coming back and forward alot.

Good luck in trying to get around this and putting one over on the herd of swine that are behind VRT. Why do I feel so strongly? Well I live close to the UK border in Donegal and everytime car renewal comes around my blood pressure rises a few notches as I see the difference in car prices between the two countries.

Whatsmore, the EU has told that shower in the Dail that VRT is an illegal tax.....but they rake in so much money they'll continue to impose VRT until Brussells demands it it be stopped. The only other country in the EC which does anything similar is Denmark.

And finally, the ingredient in the mix which really turns my stomach, the lengths that Revenue/Customs goes to make sure people pay and this is true because it has happened to friends of ours....they monitor the use of vehicles which haven't been thru VRT. Yes, do you believe that people are employed in modern day Ireland as desperate little snoopers who follow ordinary people around just to prove that their vehicle spends too much time in the South of Ireland to be exempt from VRT. Unbelievable, a sort of Celtic Stasi....it does sound like a bit of a bad joke but it is true and these sad excuses of humans turned up on the doorstep of our friends (real criminals, I tell you) and told them their car (Northern Ireland reg) had been followed and watched!!

Have you ever wondered who are the type of people who carry out orders in totalitarian regimes. Well, in Ireland it's the Revenue/Customs people....hope their arms and legs fall off.

Anyway, once again all the best!!