HELPDESK: Michael McAleeranswers all you motoring queries
From John Murphy: I am hoping to import a diesel car after July 1st. How is Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) arrived at and how often is it revised? I was wondering if it will reflect changed car values after July 1st? Any further information on the import process would be helpful.
The OMSP is determined by the Revenue as the value the car would attain on the open market. It therefore takes no consideration of the price you pay for the vehicle. It is this figure they then use to apply Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT).
You can do a provisional check on the VRT payable for your particular vehicle by visiting the Revenue website, www.revenue.ieand clicking on the motor vehicles section. However, this is only an estimate.
You do, however, raise an interesting point when you mention importing the car after July 1st. The enormous impact of the change to carbon emissions-based taxation on new car prices will also be reflected in significant changes to used prices. That means that the Revenue must begin to estimate those changed demands and used prices as of July 1st.
Setting OMSP is clearly not a perfect science, so be prepared to challenge the figures set by Revenue officials. You may feel the need to appeal a VRT charge. Information on the appeals procedure is also available online at the Revenue website, but if you feel you are being overcharged you should make the revenue official know at the time of registration as well and make your case at that point. Under the new rules, cars imported after July 1st will be charged on VRT based on emissions levels. This gives used diesels an advantage over Irish used cars, as they will carry a lower VRT figure. However, the road tax will be based on engine size rather than CO2, to at least reduce that disadvantage to Irish used cars.
When you arrive home with the car, you have one working day to re-register it, so my advice would be to contact the nearest Vehicle Registration Office (they are listed online and in the phone book). Make sure all the paperwork is in order and accounted for. Things after that are relatively straightforward.
From PJC, Dublin: Why did the National Roads Authority (NRA) waste our money putting a third lane on the Naas dual carriageway since only two are used? The left-hand lane is normally empty.
Will the same happen on the M50 when it is completed? If I drive within the speed limit on the left-hand lane, I find that I am passing slower vehicles "on the inside". Am I breaking the law?
Technically the answer to your latter question is yes. However, your problem is one most of us will understand very well. It is largely down to a lack of trust and courtesy. Drivers don't take to the inside lane for fear that they may well get stuck in there. Irish motorists also seem to have an intense aversion to allowing other cars to pull out or merge in front of them. If it looks like the gap in front might be filled by another car, many drivers speed up and close it rather than pull back a little and let the other person in.
In reality, however, while you may find yourself in an empty inside lane on occasion, when it comes to the M50, the chances of any lane being "empty" is unlikely, given the volume of traffic using it these days.
From L O'Neill: I've been looking to bring in a 1975 Mercedes 350 SE. I've always wanted one - they were the car of my childhood - but the car in question is in bad shape. It needs quite a bit of work.
My query is: how do I go about getting it through an NCT and will that matter when I come to import it?
No. Cars over 30 years are classified as vintage, and the VRT charged on them is a flat rate of €50.
In terms of the NCT, once a car is taxed as vintage then it doesn't have to complete the NCT either. It's a rather quirky anomaly that allows some fantastic vintage cars to stay on the road for rallies.
However, I suspect the savings you make there will be quickly swallowed up in the cost of restoration and maintenance. While I'm no expert on restoration work, those who put their heart and soul into such endeavours will tell you that it is a labour of love, and anyone considering buying a vintage car in order to save on road tax and NCT is fooling themselves.
I've yet to meet a classic car owner who came away from the deal with a profit.