THE REVENUE has acknowledged delays of as long as seven weeks and longer in processing vehicle registration tax (VRT) applications for people who move to the Republic and bring their cars with them.
A spokesman for the Revenue said the delays apply almost exclusively to those transferring their residence and do not affect Irish residents importing a car from abroad under normal circumstances.
News of the delays comes in the wake of a call from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) for its members to instruct their staff to report Irish residents who they know to be driving UK-registered vehicles. The unequivocal action on behalf of the motor industry asked for names and addresses, make and model of vehicles and details of where the vehicles were seen to be forwarded to the society, for passing on to the Revenue Commissioners.
Driving an imported vehicle while evading VRT can lead to the impounding of the vehicle, with significant fines and penalties for the driver. Vehicles imported to the Republic should be registered and vehicle registration tax (VRT) paid by the end of the next working day.
However, it has emerged that some people are unable to finalise their VRT transactions due to a backlog at the Revenue's VRT office in Tallaght. Motorists involved have been given a letter that can be shown to customs inspectors and gardaí if the need arises. The letter is valid for seven weeks.
However, a number of drivers have told The Irish Times that they have been waiting longer than that, and some complained they felt targeted by the SIMI action while they were unable, through no fault of their own, to do anything about it.
In a statement on the issue the Revenue said, "In order to minimise the impact of delays on customers, we issue a letter which entitles the applicant to drive the vehicle until the application is dealt with. This letter is given to all applicants when applications are received pending examination of claims. This allows the vehicle in question to be driven for a period of seven weeks and can be extended should it be necessary to do so."
"It would be unusual for a case not to be resolved within the seven-week period. There is no backlog for straightforward cases," added a spokesman.
