Budget Day

My gut feeling is that in a few budgets time the carbon emission tax system will start dropping onto cars registered in Ireland before July 2008. They would probably do a staggered approach like when they introduced the NCT...  killing off motors older than 1994/96...

Carbon policys like this are going to come into Ireland like the fog. It's just a matter of time before it hits the pre July 2008 stuff...

Here's a sample of cars in Band F (€1k car tax) and Band G (€2k car tax) that I very much doubt we will see too many of after July '08.

Alfa 147 1.6: Band F
Alfa 147 2.0: Band F
Alfa 159 2.2JTS: Band F
Alfa Brera 2.2JTS: Band F
Audi A4 1.8T: Band F
Chrysler 300C <all>: Band G
Ford S-Max 2.0i: Band F
Ford Focus ST: Band F
Honda S2000: Band G
Honda Civic Type-R: Band F
Land Rover <all>: Band F + G
Lexus IS250: Band G
Lotus Elise: Band F
Mazda RX-8: Band G
Mercedes E200K: Band F
Subaru Forester: Band F + G
Subaru Impreza WRX: Band G

And as if Alfa's wernt hard enough to justify ownership...

Mick

Here is something else that is hidden in the "small print".

For those of you running company cars there will be significant changes to the way that the costs of these can be offset. I understand that any car with an emission rating of 190g/km or higher will not qualify for any tax offset at all. Only cars with a rating of below 155g/km will qualify for full tax offset releif while those in the 155 - 190 range will only qualify for 50% of the full releif.

This will put a damper on company owners/directors running nice cars and will mean that all "company cars" will now have to fall under the 155g/km limit in order to be tax efficient.

Don't forget that the gormless one has also promised to introduce a new "carbon tax" next year, based on "the polluter pays" principle, which will undoubtedly mean higher prices at the pumps.

Enjoy it while you can !

lesurely wrote: the government are ripping us off big time and it looks like its going to get worse

That is true, but the key thing here is that in times of significant change such as these changes to the VRT system, there are ALWAYS opportunities. 

Dig for the anomolies and use them before the Revenue spot them (and close them) and you can find a (relative) bargain.....

lesurelyHmmmmmm   tell me more......  [/QUOTE wrote: There are always oddities, for example, VRT on a '99 328Ci is less than on an e36

There are always oddities, for example,

• VRT on a '99 328Ci is less than on an e36 328i Sport
• a '01 520iSE is only euro30 less than a 530iSE
• a '02 325iSE is nearly euro200 less than a 320iSE
• a '00 530iSE is nearly euro600 less than a '00 528iSE
• a '03 330Ci is nearly euro2000 less than a 330Ci SE although the specs are identical.
• All figures assume same age and mileage and all cars are manual.

The blue bullet wrote: Methinks the days of big engined petrol cruisers are coming to an end in this country.

They may reduce, but not gone.  Therein lies the potential opportunities going forward (all the figures mentioned are under the current regime).

The new VRT rate for an e46 330Ci will be 32% and a 330Cd will be 28%, so the laws of supply and demand should mean that demand for 330Cd's increases and thus prices (OMSP) rise.  Similarly demand, and thus prices, for 330Ci should fall.  This is likely to at least offset, if not exceed, the differential created by changing the rates.

Regarding road tax - on cars imported after July next, road tax on a 330Ci will DROP from the euro1300 or so that it is today to euro1000 while it will drop from euro1300 to euro600 on the 330Cd.

I'm just using that as the example - if you think hard you'll come up with more yourself.

Ballcock wrote: Being pedantic, a 3 litre unit (once under 3,000cc's) is currently taxed @ €1,109. The upcoming 11% increase will bring this up to €1,231.

No problem, the world needs pedants too! 

You are absolutely right, I have always been afraid to look at the road tax bill for my 330 so I had the over 3.0l figure in my mind.  On the one hand it obviously hasn't been costing me quite as much as I thought (WoooHooo!) but also that I will save less than I thought if bring one in in future (Boooohooo!).