Irish crackdown on flags from the North
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• by Charles Young Officials a the Republic of Ireland are cracking down on Northern Irish operators who try to register vehicles in the South to benefit from its cheaper tax regime.
The campaign came to light when County Tyrone operator Martin McGlona tried to register the second of his three trucks in the Republic. McGlona has a small yard in County Donegal but conducts all his business in the North.
"I had already registered one of my wagons there," says McGlona, "so I was surprised when they refused to accept the second one saying I didn't have a proper business in the South."
A spokesman for the Revenue Commission in Dublin confirms that it is tightening up its policies on flagging out. 'We will not co-operate in this sort of thing [flagging out]," he says. "We are insisting on the letter of the law, which says you must have a proper establishment here. This means you must be VAT registered, have proper premises, carry on business in the Republic and employ staff here."
The spokesman accepts that in the past one or two trucks might have slipped through the net, but he warns that staff have now been told to be extra vigilant.