DUBLIN : Police in Ireland seized 18 high-powered BMWs after detecting that these were registered with smaller engines to avoid the higher taxes.
Many of the cars were BMW 5-Series models with big engines but were registered by the owners as having a 1.9-liter engine to avoid paying the additional annual taxes which in some cases rose to an extra €1,200. The local authorities say the fraud is actually more widespread as they believe many Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Jaguar models are also involved.
These frauds are estimated to cost the Irish government approximately €2 million each year. A man has already been arrested in Dublin earlier this week and is now being accused of theft and fraud while the vehicles were seized after raids organized by members of the Garda’s Dublin Metropolitan Region Traffic Division.
Ireland police advises all car owners who are in a similar situation to redo all registration papers according to the engine’s displacement.
