Customs agents in Ireland dealt a haymaker to a group of wealthy, supercar enthusiasts who tried to squeeze their pinstriped arses athwart a loophole in the law, in an attempt to circumvent the high value-added tax (VAT) on their $300,000 rides. The scam, known as "aging," involves bringing a supercar into the country, driving it in excess of 6,000km and subsequently registering it with customs as a used car. As such, owners would be exempt from the tax, charged at 30 percent of an imported car's selling price.
A customs operation, code-named Viking, targeted the perps, and impounded 75 luxury cars, including six Aston Martins ( 250,000 each), a "high-spec" BMW sedan ( 285,000), several Maseratis ( 155,000 each), and a Bentley Continental ( 200,000), as well as a Ferrari Maranello, a Ferrari 360, and several Hummers, Porsches and BMW X5s.
These Irish eyes are crying [Blottered]
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Bait Car Update: Readers Report [internal]