Crazy New MOT system

redux

albertross wrote:

Car tax should be put on petrol, problem goes away, no more dodgers, no more fines, no more failure to display nonsense, people pay their fair share based on their road useage, and greeness of the vehicle. The politicians don't have the guts to do it, because they are scared of the petrol protesters lobby.

And if the MOT was not computer linked, no chance for the state to check that cars in use are tested and insured, which is reasonable given the number of defaults? No chance of exemption from compliance if people think that SORN is an imposition?

danny_kie

Just reading the recent posts - I totally agree that the tax on petrol is way ott and car tax should be taken as part of that, thus eliminating tax discs.
However as was pointed out by other posters, this gives the dvla no way to ensure a car is cosher.
Well in eire, they have insurance discs which are provided by their equivelant of the DVLA, when advised by the insurance companies - or some insurers can issue them direct after advising the Irish DVLA.

What I would propose is that car tax discs are replaced with insurance discs and are only issued when an insurance company advises the DVLA and a current MOT is seen in the DVLA system, thereby eliminating the need for us to go anywhere near a post office and all details are tracked - if the insurance is cancelled or revoked then the insurance disc attached to the car is null and the licence plate is recorded as uninsured.

This would fulfill the following:

Public not hassled to go and declare SORN.

Public not hassled to get a tax disc, present documents etc.

All the details in the DVLA computers matching up, also in the insurers system.

An easy way for the police to detect a car with no insurance/MOT just by visually checking the insurance disc.

An easy way for the police to detect an uninsured vehicle/vehicle with no MOT on their scanning systems and also via the speed cameras.

I would also recommend having a 14 day grace period for obtaining a new MOT/insurance, which would allow for obtaining parts etc to pass the MOT.

The car tax should be taken from the fuel tax as the fuel tax in this country is one of the highest (if not the highest) in the world and there has never been any justification given to it.

Anyone like my suggestions?

Dani

piggeh

By the way - MOT charges going up from start of October.

danny_kie

piggeh wrote:

By the way - MOT charges going up from start of October.

Oh Noo

Hang on - how can MOT prices go up, they are a flat rate of £2.00 to a garage and the garage decides the price - you are having me on piggeh

Altarf

danny_kie wrote:

Just reading the recent posts - I totally agree that the tax on petrol is way ott and car tax should be taken as part of that, thus eliminating tax discs.
However as was pointed out by other posters, this gives the dvla no way to ensure a car is cosher.

Well in eire, they have insurance discs which are provided by their equivelant of the DVLA, when advised by the insurance companies - or some insurers can issue them direct after advising the Irish DVLA.

What I would propose is that car tax discs are replaced with insurance discs and are only issued when an insurance company advises the DVLA and a current MOT is seen in the DVLA system, thereby eliminating the need for us to go anywhere near a post office and all details are tracked - if the insurance is cancelled or revoked then the insurance disc attached to the car is null and the licence plate is recorded as uninsured.

This would fulfill the following:

Public not hassled to go and declare SORN.

The government is planning on introducing continuous insurance from 2008, the same as the requirement for continuous licensing, so if you don't declare SORN they can do you for both no tax disc and no insurance.

At the moment they can clamp cars that don't have tax discs, but they can only prosecute you if they catch you driving an uninsured car. They intend clamping uninsured cars.

danny_kie wrote:

All the details in the DVLA computers matching up, also in the insurers system.

The DVLA and insurance companies systems are already linked.

danny_kie wrote:

An easy way for the police to detect a car with no insurance/MOT just by visually checking the insurance disc.

No need, at the moment the ANPR system the police use will tell them if it is taxed and insured when the vehicle drives past.

danny_kie wrote:

An easy way for the police to detect an uninsured vehicle/vehicle with no MOT on their scanning systems and also via the speed cameras.

Haven't you noticed the ANPR vans already doing this?

danny_kie wrote:

I would also recommend having a 14 day grace period for obtaining a new MOT/insurance, which would allow for obtaining parts etc to pass the MOT.

You already have a months grace, as you can get the MOT done a month in advance and get the new certificate forward dated from the expiry of the old one. Insurance companies send you reminders so you can renew before the old one expires. Oh sorry, you meant 14 days grace for the disorganised people who cannot be bothered to do this.

danny_kie wrote:

The car tax should be taken from the fuel tax as the fuel tax in this country is one of the highest (if not the highest) in the world and there has never been any justification given to it.

Vehicle Excise Duty and Hydrocarbon Oil Duty have no relationship other than to raise money for the government. People have a strange idea that 'car tax' and 'fuel tax' have some direct link to cars and roads. They are not hypothecated taxes and just go into the general pot.

danny_kie wrote:

Anyone like my suggestions?

No.

swapmeetpete

pandapone wrote:

I got fed up of all the stress of timing the MOT and new tax disk together on our two cars - so in both cases I bought a six month tax disk with the last new MOT - when that comes for renewal I will get a 12 month tax disk so that the need for a new tax disk and the renewal of MOT will never coincide again in the future.

Good idea, although in true money-saving spirit you would be better off taxing for a year, then cancelling after six months for a full pro-rata refund and immediately re-taxing for a year. This is because a 6 months tax disc attracts a non-refundable service charge (upwards of £10.50) which does not apply to 12 months tax.

CFC

That is what I do - I got fed up of MOT tax and insurance in the same month.

Continuous insurance sounds like a licence for insurance companies to rip people off and mislead them, and doubtless they will do so...

Altarf

swapmeetpete wrote:

Good idea, although in true money-saving spirit you would be better off taxing for a year, then cancelling after six months for a full pro-rata refund and immediately re-taxing for a year. This is because a 6 months tax disc attracts a non-refundable service charge (upwards of £10.50) which does not apply to 12 months tax.

For post 1991 cars it is from £5 upwards, and if you did the "refund & replace" method you would need to time it very carefully as you only get a refund for complete months.

CFC wrote:

Continuous insurance sounds like a licence for insurance companies to rip people off and mislead them, and doubtless they will do so...

Continuous insurance will mean that the car must be insured unless it is declared SORN, just like the current vehicle tax system. If it is not insured, but not declared SORN, then they will be able to clamp and fine an uninsured car (which they will know is uninsured from the database) even if it is just parked at the side of the road.

It is not intended to change what the insurance companies do or charge, but to try to reduce the number of uninsured vehicles on the road.