sjrw

We sold our car in March this year. Part exd it for a newer one.
Since then we have been getting requests for us to pay the car tax on it.
We had paid the tax due up until May before we sold it.
Surely it's not our resposibility to pay tax on something we don't own - that is owned by someone else?
If so, where does this one end?
Perhaps they could get us to pay the insurance for a new owner, or the servicing bill.
If the dealership we sold it to decides to service it and test drive it, do we then become responsible for the little old lady and her grandchildren that he runs over and kills?
Maybe they could get us to pay water rates and household maintenance bills for the year after we sell our house.
Or could it just be yet another cock up from a Spanish government department? Do I need to ask my MEP? Although we tried that once before and got nowhere - MEPs are there to have a good time at taxpayers expense, not to actually do anything for those people who voted them in.
We asked the Madrid consulate for advice but they just referred us to the Spanish equivalent of DVLA.

Mitzyboy

Stupid question really .... but have you spoken to the dealership?

sjrw

We didn't get any sense out of them. They said that it's the norm. They paid for the tax on our new car so as far as they are concerned...

The demands come from a government department. We have been advised to ignore it and to pay it. I know which I would prefer, but I don't want it to come and bite us on the bum.

poolboy

if you owned the car on 1 jan you are liable for a whole years tax on it. Its the law!

sjrw

If the tax comes in one year chunks, then how can we have taxed it to may?
How can the dealership say they have given us six months of tax?

Mitzyboy

When I bought our car from a dealership the tax was paid right through the year, and I only had to pay on the next renewal

spain

its doesnt work the same as in UK..you cant buy 6 months tax

As fas as I now understand it, everyones tax is for 12 months from Jan....but bills are sent out at different times in different areas eg ours always come in Aug (so although we got our bill in Aug it was for the whole of this year from Jan)

So you could either try again at the dealers (we did this before when we part ex and they paid it) or just pay it

sjrw

Well it looks like we have to pay, then.
Yet another example of a Spanish system that makes you pay for something you don't have.

Thanks for the replies - it's clarified it considerably - perhaps something should go into the free beer about it.

missile

It is different system to the UK, but not really a casue for complaint. It is much simpler and for most of us, it is far less than we would pay in the UK.

HBG

It's the seller's responsibility to notify change of ownership, otherwise Suma will still expect you to pay. We got caught like that and had to cancel ownership with the local Trafico, which was quite simple, but we did have to pay for the time the car was still in our name.

snikpoh

I don't think that's quite fair;

1) car tax is much cheaper in Spain
2) you can also win on this if you buy a second-hand car after jan - tax will have been paid by the previous owner.

Casa Santo Estevo

I was about to say the same as item 2 too. Cannot understand why post a comment saying you have pay for something you don't have. The only way you have to pay twice is when you purchase a new car.

mikelincs

I part exchanged a car one November, and was told that if they hadn't sold it by January I would get a tax demand, I was to pay it, and they would refund me the money, saved the dealer having to re-register the car from me and then again when they sold it. Happened exactly as they said, they just gave me the cash. They had sold the car on by then, but not till after January 1st.

Dxf

Hi

In some Ayuntamientos it is possible to pay by instalments.

Secondly, if you own the car on January 1st then you are liable for the tax for this year. If you buy it on January 2nd then you are not (in theory).

The Spanish consider a car "a lethal weapon" and there is a lot of bookwork attached to owning or selling said weapon. Get it wrong and you may be liable.

If selling a car, get all the bookwork completed before partig with the keys

Davexf