Farmers and fishermen

How to reclaim VAT on sea fishing vessels and equipment

This section will explain how fishermen, who are not registered for Value-Added Tax (VAT), may make VAT repayment claims on costs of sea fishing vessels and sea fishing equipment.

You may claim repayment of VAT on the purchase, importation, hire, maintenance, and repair of sea-fishing vessels of a gross tonnage of not more than 15 tons. The fishing vessel concerned must have been the subject of a grant or loan from An Bord Iascaigh Mhara.

You may also claim repayment of VAT on the purchase, importation, hire, maintenance and repair of specified fishing equipment.

If the vessel for which the equipment is intended is not more than 15 tons (gross tonnage), it is a condition that the vessel must have been the subject of a grant or loan from An Bord Iascaigh Mhara.

Repayment in respect of equipment for a vessel of more than 15 tons (gross tonnage) may be claimed whether or not the vessel was the subject of a grant or loan.

Application for repayment should be made online using eRepayments.

Applications for repayment must be submitted within four years from the end of the taxable period to which the claim relates.

List of specified fishing equipment

• anchors
• autopilots
• bilge and deck pumps
• buoys and floats
• compasses
• cranes
• echo graphs
• echo sounders
• electrical generating sets
• fish boxes
• fish finders
• fishing baskets
• life boats and life rafts
• marine lights
• marine engines
• net drums
• net hauliers
• net sounders
• radar apparatus
• radio navigational aid apparatus
• radio telephones
• refrigeration plant
• trawl doors
• trawl gallows
• winches.

Next: How to reclaim VAT on marine diesel