Cars with a disabled tax disc

Antispam

Bear in mind Op hasnt been back online since the day they posted in June

Nilrem

Pssst wrote: »

I pay £180 for my tax disk.

Can someone please tell me why someone classed as disabled shouldn't also pay their road tax?

One of the more usual reasons (and it's quite true) is that the average, healthy person generally has a pretty decent choice of transport (by foot even!) when it comes to getting around.
Someone who is disabled enough to be eligible for a disabled exemption on their car tax generally doesn't have much choice in how they get around, and it's generally more expensive for them to get around (the car moves from being a nice option, to being pretty much essential regardless of where they live).
Hence the mobility allowance, and the free car tax, especially now tax varies depending on engine size etc, as a lot of adaptations to vehicles to make them more suitable for someone in a wheelchair etc, requires a larger vehicle than they might otherwise have chosen.

TOBRUK

Pssst wrote: »

I pay £180 for my tax disk.

Can someone please tell me why someone classed as disabled shouldn't also pay their road tax?

I can understand on the face of it why someone who pays road tax would feel it unfair that others don't. Can I ask Pssst, are you in good health, do you have a disability which restricts the things you can do? I used to be in good health with no disability, however, my life changed dramatically and now have difficulty doing most things others take for granted!

I have to have an automatic car and also an adaption on the steering wheel so that I can operate the indicators, lights, wipers, horn etc. This costs money: when I had the adaption fitted in 1997 it cost me £500. Last month the adaption stopped working and had to either have it repaired or buy a new one. They managed to repair it and the cost of that was £375. If I would have had to get a new one it would have cost me £1000 and around £180 to fit.

Apart from these costs I am also unable to drive very far and then I have to park as near as possible to where I am going as walking a long distance is not an option. In the last year I have done less than 1000 miles. Before my life changed I used to go on long drives and enjoy going to different places. As I live alone the car is essential for me and the short journeys I make are for getting essentials, attending appointments etc. Given the choice, I would much rather be healthy without a disability and pay road tax.

I'm not saying that it justifies the fact that I no longer pay road tax but as I qualified for car tax exemption I took it. If you have a greivance regarding car tax exemption I would take it up with your mp.

Broken_hearted

Pssst wrote: »

I pay £180 for my tax disk.

Can someone please tell me why someone classed as disabled shouldn't also pay their road tax?

We pay more and are a disabled household, it is upsetting to see others with less debilitating disability get free road tax but we get on with it. We always have to fight hard to get anything as our authority is of the opinion that only elderly and children deserve help.:mad:

someonestopme

Invasion wrote: »

Some councils will allow you to get a BB without DLA, many won't without a huge fight, and sometimes court... To get a BB automatically then the relevant qualifying criteria for you would be Higher rate mobility, which generally means you can walk only 50 metres or less, gait and time taken are also considered. What do you mean by motability allowance?

I thought that was what they called it when they give you a car???

In all seriousness I cant drive or even get in small or sporty or generally uncomfy cars due to my condition.I obviously cant afford a new car so I had to get an old 7 series which is Auto, has very soft and smooth suspension and incredibly comfortable electrically operated seats, but the poor old things not far off giving up and I cant afford a new car (which are much more comfy these days if you get the right one) and if I get another old luxury one I'll have the same problem of having to beg family when it breaks down and hardly being able to afford to put fuel in.

PSST- If you can earn no money due to no fault of your own, why shouldn't you have a concession???

easy

someonestopme wrote: »

I thought that was what they called it when they give you a car???

In all seriousness I cant drive or even get in small or sporty or generally uncomfy cars due to my condition.I obviously cant afford a new car so I had to get an old 7 series which is Auto, has very soft and smooth suspension and incredibly comfortable electrically operated seats, but the poor old things not far off giving up and I cant afford a new car (which are much more comfy these days if you get the right one) and if I get another old luxury one I'll have the same problem of having to beg family when it breaks down and hardly being able to afford to put fuel in.

PSST- If you can earn no money due to no fault of your own, why shouldn't you have a concession???

Someonestopme - you are getting confused about terms here. Mobility allowance was the name for a benefit which used to be paid to disabled people with mobility difficulties, about 20 years ago. This was replaced by the mobility component of Disabled Living Allowance, which is now awarded at either lower, middle or higher rate, depending on your degree of mobility difficulties.

If you get the mobility component of Disabled Living Allowance at higher rate, you can apply to use this money to lease or buy a car on the Motability scheme. See http://www.motabilitycarscheme.co.uk/main.cfm?type=CHSW for details.

Hope this helps

ShockingPink

someonestopme wrote: »

I thought that was what they called it when they give you a car???

In all seriousness I cant drive or even get in small or sporty or generally uncomfy cars due to my condition.I obviously cant afford a new car so I had to get an old 7 series which is Auto, has very soft and smooth suspension and incredibly comfortable electrically operated seats, but the poor old things not far off giving up and I cant afford a new car (which are much more comfy these days if you get the right one) and if I get another old luxury one I'll have the same problem of having to beg family when it breaks down and hardly being able to afford to put fuel in.

PSST- If you can earn no money due to no fault of your own, why shouldn't you have a concession???

Not everyone who is disabled is unable to work. I get free road tax and still have a job (though I earn less than I used to, this also doesn't apply to everyone!)

Just to add a quick clarification about the mobility allowance: Motability is the name of the charity that provides leased cars in exchange for some or all of your Higher Rate Mobility Allowance or War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement.

easy

ShockingPink wrote: »

Not everyone who is disabled is unable to work. I get free road tax and still have a job (though I earn less than I used to, this also doesn't apply to everyone!)

I does bother me that sooooo many people still believe that if you have a disablity you won't be able to work, even on forums such as this.

A couple of years ago my OH was temporarily unemployed, went to the JobCentre to sign on, and I went with him.

The (very) young lady who was conducting the initial interview talked about our household income and work, looked at me with mu crutches and said "Obviously, we can't expect you to be working". I really did feel written off. She hadn't even considered I might have qualifications or useful experience (a degree in business studies and 20 years spent training people to used computerised accounting systems, as it happens).

someonestopme

Thanks for that people.
Pink, I didn't mean to tar everyone with the same brush I was just saying.
And obviously I dont think everyone who's disabled cant work,I mean you see disabled people working here and there all the time!!!
OMG some people really are touchy

mealone

skcollobcat10 wrote: »

The only time my tax disc was checked was when I went down south on a holiday. It was too far to drive so we took a flight down and hired a vehicle whilst down there.

A jobsworthy car parking attendant would not let me park for free with my blue badge although I use a wheelchair, he made us pay for parking. It was because the tax disc on the hire car did not say Disabled. The car park obviously only employee stupid people.

More and more areas are bringing in this rule, to qualify for free/disabled bay the car must be VED and the car park attendant was correct if that area has this rule.

These rules have been sneaked in and we all must fight this, it will effect every blue badge owner by eroding our rights.

On road parking bays are a national rule so when in areas that insist on VED status for a disabled bay just park on the road but that causes us problems too. I just cant drag my chair out in traffic then transfer neither can I do that pavement side either.

On road bays are dangerous for us wheelies/wooblies but by changing local rules around against what else can we do?