Car tax disc to be axed after 93 years

Ectophile

Roland_Sausage wrote: »

At least we can bid farewell the (semi) annual palaver of having to stay up until midnight on the last day of the month to change the discs over at the precise moment in order to comply with the law.

I had an alternative solution to that - two tax disc holders!

Joe_Horner

Iceweasel wrote: »

I think it will have to be payable by Direct Debit monthly in advance and non-refundable.

Most, if not all, of the problems that have been highlighted just fade away if that was the case.

That way you sell the car, cancel your DD and the new owner has the rest of the month to get their DD up and running.

In the words of Jeremy Clarkson - "How hard can it be?"

Except then you have the (many) people who will find it hard / impossible to budget for a monthly DD, or don't even have bank accounts that will accept them. They can usually manage to either save (using the PO) or juggle bills for a six monthly payment, but a regular commitment each month can be a lot harder to meet on low or irregular (eg: self employed or agency) income.

Not that the gubmint has any concept of (or interest in) what life on low income / rural areas actually entails.

By far the simplest and best solution, as repeatedly suggested, would be
to remove the effective "standing charge" and add it to fuel so you pay according to use. The only even vaguely valid argument against that over the years has been the visible tax disk as a nominal check for MOT and insurance, get rid of that disk and there's no reason whatsoever against putting it on fuel.

Our daily cars are one classic with "historic" status and one disabled (not Motability) because of my partner's serious health problems, so we'd actually lose out significantly if that was brought in. But I'd rather see that than what they're suggesting because it would be fair, and overall it would be a huge benefit to people in remote areas who really need it right now.

Joe_Horner

Rover_Driver wrote: »

Depends what he puts on a form V33.

Except that's traceable if you're pulled over.

You can show that he sold the car with the disk included because it's in your windscreen, which shows that his claim to have "lost it" is fraudulent. If he just has to cancel online the it's your word against his that the tax was included in the sale.

[Deleted User]

Monthly tax is a good idea. We pay enough taxes to start with without giving them a 6/12 month advance payment. They can have it monthly when my employer gives me a slice of my yearly salary.

paddedjohn

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Except then you have the (many) people who will find it hard / impossible to budget for a monthly DD, or don't even have bank accounts that will accept them. They can usually manage to either save (using the PO) or juggle bills for a six monthly payment, but a regular commitment each month can be a lot harder to meet on low or irregular (eg: self employed or agency) income.

Not that the gubmint has any concept of (or interest in) what life on low income / rural areas actually entails.

By far the simplest and best solution, as repeatedly suggested, would be
to remove the effective "standing charge" and add it to fuel so you pay according to use. The only even vaguely valid argument against that over the years has been the visible tax disk as a nominal check for MOT and insurance, get rid of that disk and there's no reason whatsoever against putting it on fuel.

Our daily cars are one classic with "historic" status and one disabled (not Motability) because of my partner's serious health problems, so we'd actually lose out significantly if that was brought in. But I'd rather see that than what they're suggesting because it would be fair, and overall it would be a huge benefit to people in remote areas who really need it right now.

How does a visible tax disc prove a vehicle is insured or has mot?

Roland_Sausage

I am sure it will all be fine. Plenty of other countries manage ok without displaying tax discs.

Joe_Horner

paddedjohn wrote: »

How does a visible tax disc prove a vehicle is insured or has mot?

It doesn't, but the argument against putting it on fuel was always that the MOT and insurance was checked at least annually, and often 6 monthly, in order to get the disk. Before ANPR and insurance / MOT databases that was far better than nothing.

Of course, the real reason for not putting it on fuel is that, if they did, people might be tempted to economise by using them less or driving them more carefully.

Say you're banking on the equivalent of the current £5.9 billion VED from an increased fuel duty. Then people really get the green bug you've been plugging and cut their fuel use by, say, 10%, by more economic (ie: generally slower and safer) driving or cutting out some trips. You lose £590 MILLION in tax income - over 10x what you lose from tax dodgers under the current system.

Richard53

paddedjohn wrote: »

How does a visible tax disc prove a vehicle is insured or has mot?

It doesn't prove it, but as you have to have insurance and MoT to get the tax disc, it's a strong indicator. Better than nothing at all, perhaps. And he did say a 'nominal' check.

Edit: Oops, cross post.

AlexLK

LandyAndy wrote: »

How will I know, when buying a car privately (or indeed from a dealer), that it is taxed?

You can do that now online.

Type "DVLA SORN" into google and do a "vehicle enquiry", you only need the registration number and make.

On the discs, I be rather sad to see them go.

Richard53

AlexLK wrote: »

On the discs, I be rather sad to see them go.

Same here. When you look at them properly, they are actually rather attractive bits of utility art.