Dear fellow Users
We are an Irish Company of Chartered Accountants. We act for a company registered in Northern Ireland. The previous accountant never registered the company for VAT. It owns a mussel dredger which it leases to another company based in the Republic of Ireland. The sale and hire of commercial boats is not exempt from tax, it is zero rated. The Northern Irish Company is now selling the dredger to a Scottish company and we wish to register the NI company and apply VAt at 0%.
Our problem is that the Grimsby VAT office are taking 4-6 weeks to register for VAT. We have an acknowledgement reference and have rung to say there is some urgency in getting the VAT number - but we have no email contact number. Does anyone have an email address for the VAT registration section in Grimsby - if you had we would gratefully appreciate it. Failing that - if anyone had a direct telephone number and name - we cannot use the 0300 numbers are as we are based outside Ireland - we would need the 0044 2920 ......... number.
Replies (7)
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Sorry to hear about your plight
I wanted to change the VAT reg date for a client recently. It was just impossible to do this. I learned that even if you can use 0300 numbers you will get a permanent engaged signal from the Grimsby office.
Sorry to say that I think you will struggle to get anywhere fast. Grimsby just don't like doing anything that's convenient for the "customer" as I think we're called.
Cardiff
0044 2920 501261 - but 2920 is Cardiff anyway. You'd need an 0044 1472 number to speak to someone in Grimsby.
HI
Try this number - VAT Registrations Team - 0300 052 3240 .
As far as I`m aware there are no other public direct numbers to link to VAT Registrations. Try using a redirecting service for telephones. It does not have a robot so it will mostly ring as engaged.
The email - [email protected] (not sure if they will reply without a reference).
Good luck (you`ll need it)!
I do not see your concern. Assuming there is no challenge to registration then you will be VAT registered from the date you have requested it. All you are waiting for is the admin to catch up. It will and you can sort out invoicing at the time. If you want to raise an invoice before you have the number just add an amount "equivalent to VAT" and credit note and reissue as normal afterwards.
If it's zero rated ....
If it's zero rated, you don't need a VAT number anyway.
Chill. Everything's cool.
Misunderstood
Many thanks to you and everyone who replied.
I used to think that the Irish Tax Office was slow, but at least you can get a name and an email address.
In relation to your comment that a VAT number is not needed if one is zero rated- that would not be correct as zero rating allows you recover VAT inputs - you only do not need a Vat number if the service is Exempt.
I was just thinking about issuing the invoice, not making a return.
You say that you "wish to register the company and apply VAT at 0%". You don't need a VAT number to apply VAT at 0%. But you do need to register.
If it's returns that bother you, the timing is definitely less of a problem. You'll get a number well before a return's due.