Car tax disc to be axed after 93 years

~Chameleon~

Tilt wrote: »

And what about if you havn't got such a device or you can't get a signal?

Do you really think that this move is designed to help the average motorist?

You'd have to seriously be unlucky to be in an area without any network coverage whatsoever. And besides, who on earth goes to buy a car without having previously done history checks on it?

And if you're viewing on speck, then you go away and do your research (including a check on tax status) before returning to purchase.

Simples

As for checking insurance status in the case of an accident, there's very little you can do post-event regardless of whether a tax disc is displayed or not.

AdrianC

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

You'd have to seriously be unlucky to be in an area without any network coverage whatsoever.

Umm, there's actually quite large swathes of the UK with no mobile coverage at all. Including just here.

Aretnap

re How you know that the car you're buying is still taxed, one possibility is that the tax will automatically lapse on the sale of the car and the remaining months will automatically be refunded to the seller. It will then always be the responsibility of the buyer to tax it. Presumably from the first of the next month, though it would be a nice little earner for the taxman if both buyer and seller ended up paying for the month in which it's sold.

Actually thinking about it, if there are no tax discs to print anymore, there's no reason why tax would have to start on the first of the month anyway, and you shouldn't need to pay for a whole month if you sell/SORN/scrap a car midway through the month. What odds will anyone give me on that being implemented?

Joe_Horner

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

You'd have to seriously be unlucky to be in an area without any network coverage whatsoever. And besides, who on earth goes to buy a car without having previously done history checks on it?

And if you're viewing on speck, then you go away and do your research (including a check on tax status) before returning to purchase.

Simples
.

(1) We have almost no coverage for about a 5 mile radius around here, and even further for even a basic GPRS data connection. It also depends entirely what network you use - if you've chosen one for your "local" area it may well be carp where the car is.

(2) Checking before you go, or even after viewing, doesn't stop someone cashing the tax in after you've paid and driven away with this system. Unless they also introduce some way of doing an instant change of keeper 9which would be WAY too open to fraud!) that gives them plenty of time while the V5 is in the post.

With a tax disk they can't do that because you take it with you.

AdrianC

Joe_Horner wrote: »

With a tax disk they can't do that because you take it with you.

They could, of course, just tick the "I lost the disc" box on the refund form... The presence of a disc doesn't mean that they haven't already done that, either.

Joe_Horner

AdrianC wrote: »

They could, of course, just tick the "I lost the disc" box on the refund form... The presence of a disc doesn't mean that they haven't already done that, either.

They could, but when you showed the date of sale and the tax disk that came with the car they'd be looking at a fraud charge and the fraud would be committed against HM Government, not you, so very likely indeed to be proceeded with.

Without the disk as evidence it's your word against theirs.

Joe_Horner

Aretnap wrote: »

What odds will anyone give me on that being implemented?

I'll give you one shiny new pence of yours against a packet of jaffa cakes that it won't be

custardy

AdrianC wrote: »

Umm, there's actually quite large swathes of the UK with no mobile coverage at all. Including just here.

your front room?

AdrianC

custardy wrote: »

your front room?

Indeed. <grin> Along with a sizable surrounding area... Signal can be ropy - and data a non-starter - even in town, four or five miles from here.

cepheus

According to moneybox the seller of a car will be rebated any outstanding duty and the new owner will have to purchase the duty afresh. However, this is rounded down to the nearest month so there may be double taxation!