Used Car History Check expert Cartell reported in August 2010 that An Board Snip Eile (remember them?) called for an end to the “off-the-road” facility in respect of motor tax, which allows car owners to self-declare vehicles as not in use. We predicted that the Government, if it implemented such a system, would follow the example in the UK. There has been a development in this regard (see end of article). But first, a refresher on the position in the UK:

In the UK if a vehicle is off the road, it must be notified as such to the Driving Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) using a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). The vehicle doesn’t need to be seen on the road for an offence to have been committed. The DVLA carries out a check of its records each month to identify untaxed vehicles. The DVLA has the authority to carry out enforcement action against people using the information held on its records. As well as this, the DVLA works in partnership with the police and local authorities in operating wheel clamping schemes. Using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) they identify, clamp and tow away untaxed vehicles.

If a person does not make a SORN or tax the vehicle, they could be stopped by the police. It is an automatic penalty of £80, as well as the requirement of paying for a new tax disc. A person could also get a County Court Judgment against them, and be fined a minimum of £1,000. The maximum penalty for making a false SORN, when the vehicle is actually used or kept on a public road, is £5,000 and imprisonment.

In Ireland according to the Garda Press office, the RF100 gives a warning to those who make false declarations. “Any person making a false declaration, or who subsequently fails to notify any changes in the licensing particulars now furnished, including disposal of the vehicle is liable to heavy penalties. A licensing authority may require appropriate evidence as to the accuracy of particulars declared”.
This could generate some additional tax revenue for the government if they believe that the current system is being abused. However in the UK the authorities have taken things to the extreme by crushing perfectly good vehicles just because the owners were either unwilling or unable to pay. I believe that any vehicles confiscated should be categorised end of life only as a last resort. They should be resold first.

Now the Irish Independent reports that a new law is set to be enacted later in the year. The Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Bill 2013, due to become law next August, will oblige motorists to tell their local tax office at least three months in advance that they do not intend to use their vehicle. The bill  states: • Motorists must make a “non-use declaration” between three and 12 months before their car is taken off the road. • Forms will be submitted directly to motor tax offices or online, instead of at garda stations. • Purchasers of new and second-hand vehicles will have 10 days to either tax their car or declare they won’t be using it. • For three months after next August, motorists will have to regularise their affairs. All arrears must be paid, with interest of 8.3pc, and the car then declared off the road. • After these three months, the non-use declaration must be made in advance. Motorists with motor tax arrears must pay them, with 10pc interest, and three months tax, before declaring their car as being off the road.