Disabled Car Tax

Maniccaz

Hi all,

I'm a bit confused about this entitlement. My DD has been awarded HRM. She is 6 years old. In the award letter we had a car tax exemtion form. We could use this if we didn't use our car for traveling to work.

What really confuses me is that the award holder can transfer it to another persons car which under the rules means the car owner could not use their own car for their own personal use unless the HRM recipient was with them.

Is this right? I am ringing them in the morning and looking forward to their explaination

TOBRUK

Hi Maniccaz,

What really confuses me is that the award holder can transfer it to another persons car

What you transfer isn't the car tax -it is the BLUE BADGE. When your daughter travel's in someone elses car then the blue badge can be taken to use with any car, however things like parking for free may not be possible - in a 'tax exempt' car sometimes car parking is free together with blue badge where other blue badge holders who do not have a tax exempt tax disc have to pay.

I know what you mean about driving the car (with tax exempt disc) to work or anywhere else when your daughter isn't in the car - this is a grey area.

Some say that this is acceptible as it is used for the wellbeing of the holder. It would be best to contact them and ask in regard to this - maybe by letter so that when you get a reply it is in black and white just incase someone asks or questions it in future!. I think this is acceptible if you have a disabled child that you can also use the car for things like work - you are not going to get another vehicle to go to work are you!

Hope this is clear what I'm trying to say - sorry, it's a bit early!;)

jetta_wales

From what I could Severn looking into it a few days ago and spending quite some time on the phone, they are tighter with the tax if it's on your own car but if it's on a motability vehicle whereby you would not be able to use the motability scheme otherwise (as it would be pointless since you'd still need a second car for work) then it is fine to be used for work in the case of spouses and parents living with the dissabled person.

Have you considered movability?

Richie-from-the-Boro

If the HRM is not being transported at the time in the vehicle, it's illegal isn't it ? - regardless of whose vehicle the DLA404 exemption is transferred to. My understanding is its not a grey but a very black & white area enshrined in law to stop people using the 404 for personal SDP use.

In short any car wearing a ' tax exempt ' disk without the HRM in it is being used illegally.

TOBRUK

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

If the HRM is not being transported at the time in the vehicle, it's illegal isn't it ? - regardless of whose vehicle the DLA404 exemption is transferred to. My understanding is its not a grey but a very black & white area enshrined in law to stop people using the 404 for personal SDP use.

In short any car wearing a ' tax exempt ' disk without the HRM in it is being used illegally.

I know what you are saying, however, the reason why I say it's a 'grey area' is that many threads here have been about this and many people have been given information from DLA etc where they have been told that if it is for the benefit of the disabled person (who has the HRM) then this is acceptable!

There have been many debates about this. If for example the car is used to fetch medication (for the disabled person) it is also acceptable. Advice is given (if I remember correctly, I'm not going to look at it now) in the 'Blue Badge scheme' book that you receive when you are awarded HRM.

Richie-from-the-Boro

TOBRUK wrote: »

I know what you are saying, however, the reason why I say it's a 'grey area' is that many threads here have been about this and many people have been given information from DLA etc where they have been told that if it is for the benefit of the disabled person (who has the HRM) then this is acceptable!

There have been many debates about this. If for example the car is used to fetch medication (for the disabled person) it is also acceptable. Advice is given (if I remember correctly, I'm not going to look at it now) in the 'Blue Badge scheme' book that you receive when you are awarded HRM.

I'm in agreement that it should be a discretionary area, but that has to be on~the~spot disgression The news if filled daily with people using the vehicle for illegal purposes.

If for example someone is ' pulled ' going to the chemist for a HRM prescription and the officer concerned finds the driver does not have the script with the HRM's name on it / chemist knows nothing about it / surgery knows nothing about it then its illegal and should be (1) prosecuted by the police for stealing from taxpayers and (2) prosecuted by the Excise and fined accordingly. The same goes for the BlueBadge system.

I was in my local ASDA yesterday, 22 exempt badge wide parking slots and at a guesstimate half of them [ I was sitting in the vehicle for half an hour ] were under 25 and as fit as a butchers dog, but were displaying badges.

There should be a nationwide purge by police on these parking bays, preferably regularly and the money saved and fines levied should go to the genuinely disabled.

molerat

From Direct.gov

Using the vehicle To claim exemption from paying vehicle tax, the vehicle must be registered in your name or registered in the name of someone you nominate to drive for you (a nominee).
The vehicle must only be used for your purposes, for example shopping or getting prescriptions.
If it is being used by the nominee or someone else for their own personal needs, then the exemption will be lost.

From http://www.dialdoncaster.co.uk/information/fact-sheets/2299-road-tax-exemption

However, technically the vehicle is only exempt whilst it is being used "solely by or for the purposes of the disabled person". Neither the DWP nor the Department of Transport have defined exactly what this means. The disabled person does not necessarily have to be in the car, instead, it could be used to do their shopping or running errands: However, the use of an exempt car for purposes totally unconnected with the disabled person is technically illegal. The probability of being prosecuted is low and is only likely to occur where there is flagrant abuse of the exemption, for example where a non-disabled person uses the vehicle to drive to work. The DVLA has implied that, where the car is used substantially for the purposes of the disabled person, there is nothing to worry about. But note these dangers.

jonnypb

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

I was in my local ASDA yesterday, 22 exempt badge wide parking slots and at a guesstimate half of them [ I was sitting in the vehicle for half an hour ] were under 25 and as fit as a butchers dog, but were displaying badges.

How do you know they didn't have some other form of disability?

It's nearly as bad as old people parking in parent and child bays when they have no children with them

Richie-from-the-Boro

jonnypb wrote: »

How do you know they didn't have some other form of disability?

It's nearly as bad as old people parking in parent and child bays when they have no children with them

Because I was there and you were not. I don't need to be medically qualified to decide that '' fit as a butchers dog '' was / is a good description for people who are in blue badge terms not disabled.

Educate me, which other ' disabilities ' other than unable to walk or experience very considerable difficulty in walking qualify ?

I didn't see :

- any children under two years of age accompanied by an adult driver
- anyone accompanied by bulky medical equipment
- blind people being accompanied
- or even a disabled person being accompanied

People with a behavioural or psychological disorder will not normally qualify, who signed the medical for these ' other type ' people you mention ?

Educate me jonnypb

Maniccaz

Thanks all for your help.

I will write to dvla as suggested. We were looking at getting a motability car but as it comes with disabled tax, if we were unable to use it as a normal family car we would not benefit. It might be better just to use the allowance to get a cheap car and forget about the disabled tax altogether.

jetta_wales

Maniccaz wrote: »

Thanks all for your help.

I will write to dvla as suggested. We were looking at getting a motability car but as it comes with disabled tax, if we were unable to use it as a normal family car we would not benefit. It might be better just to use the allowance to get a cheap car and forget about the disabled tax altogether.

Have a chat to motability about it.