MSE News: The end is nigh for tax discs - how will it affect you?

Former_MSE_Andrea

SailorSam wrote: »

I bought a new one only a couple of weeks ago so i'll be one of the last to have a disc.

Same here. Might keep mine for posterity. You never know - the last tax discs to be issued may be worth something one day

Buellguy

Having previously had a disc stolen off the motorbike I'll be a happy teddy bear, one less thing for the little scrotes to nick

alec2

Quote:
Getting rid of the tax disc will save taxpayers around £10 million every year and remove administrative inconvenience for businesses and motorists up and down the country."

Does this mean I can look forward to receiving my Cheque/Percentage of the taxpayers savings or is this just another taxpayers savings black hole!

AdrianC

alec2 wrote: »

Quote:
Getting rid of the tax disc will save taxpayers around £10 million every year and remove administrative inconvenience for businesses and motorists up and down the country."

Does this mean I can look forward to receiving my Cheque/Percentage of the taxpayers savings or is this just another taxpayers savings black hole!

Apart from the small detail that £10m saving would represent around 30p off every £1,000 received from VED and fuel duty, you might have missed the subtle detail that the Gov't has been spending far more than it's been receiving for the last few years. Not that £10m is going to go very far towards that, either...

Alfie01

1) No more snooping for untaxed cars-damn!
2) Find an exact make of yours, copy reg. plates-and no more paying VED-at least not for a little while. How long before criminal fraternity catch on? I also heard that it takes DVLA 3 months to update police on ANPR!

AdrianC

Alfie01 wrote: »

How long before criminal fraternity catch on?

<slaps forehead> You're right! Nobody's EVER cloned a car before now, because that little round piece of paper's been there to foil them!

ashleyriot

Incredibly disappointed at the 5% surcharge on direct debit payments - essentially, we have been paying 11 months of VED in advance all this time, which the government has been earning interest on and now when it's paid on an in-time basis they are losing out so tack on the funds in an excuse of administration?

I will be staying with the yearly payment until such time that interest rates are more than the 5% I am losing by paying monthly.

Bombay_Cat

It all sounds hunky-dory, but what happens when the computers go down, or they don't enter your details accurately? When computers are involved it can be hit or miss. Only time will tell if the new system works, but I bet there'll be lots of teething problems, all blamed on the poor old hard-done-by motorist. Also known as the DVLA's and Government's cash cow.

Pincher

The cloning issue was highlighted by the Sunday Times a few weeks ago. I think it was in the Money section.


They simply ordered the duplicate number plates on the internet, no questions asked. High street suppliers like Halfords will not supply you with a number plate without the right documentations, of course.


When you get a penalty notice, for speeding or whatever, based on photographic evidence, it is up to you to challenge it. At least with DVLA, you can still hope for some fair dealing, but what about private parking pirates? You get a fine for a retail park you have never been to, now what do you do?


You can register with a Tracker type service that will release your movements data on request. It is not always possible to get access to such data, because they will hide behind the Data Protection Act, because retrieving the data can be difficult.
E.g. they are only interested in real-time theft tracking, so only keep a week's worth normally, so by the time you get a penalty notice by post, it's already a month ago.


You now have to personalise your car externally, like paint it shocking pink so no other car will look like it. But of course, the DVLA will not let you lodge a photograph on their system, so when you tell them the picture in the penalty notice is not your car, and you show them a picture to prove it, they will say, you painted the car after you got the penalty to avoid paying the fine. Arrrrggghh!

phone_angel

I always thought that the revenue from tax discs was meant to repair the roads but the DVLA have move miles away from this and now sell registration numbers and details to enforcement authorities. I think they should get rid of road tax altogether as it is now a nonsense and tax you on road usage through fuel. It seems the DVLA have just invented another reason to keep all there jobs.