MSE News: Drivers struggle to renew road tax

Pincher

The charge by the month business is going to guarantee the computers are overloaded around the 1st of each month (including the day before), and then totally under-utilised the rest of the month.

If people really are that lame, so that they will leave it till the last possible day to do it, then charging daily will naturally spread out the computing load across the month. So if your VED runs out on the 15th, you renew online on the 14th. Other people will be forced by their own compulsion to do so on the 1st, 2nd, etc.

Having got my car on the 30th of March, and paid for ALL OF MARCH just so I can drive for the last two days, I WANT them to charge daily.

ElkyElky

Iceweasel wrote: »

I understand what you're saying - but if you've ever been to a court or tribunal of any sort you start to realise that the government, employers and bureaucrats use weasel words to fool the public into thinking that black is white.

But as long as we can make more people aware that their 'Road Tax' has nothing to do with providing and repairing roads some of us will keep on clarifying that fact for those who don't know what they are paying for.

Let's move on.

Oh yeah I agree with that. It's obvious it doesn't pay for the road repairs, that's the local authority's job yet you pay the tax to DVLA/Treasury/whoever. If tax was paid to the local authority then you can safely assume it would be used for repairs I guess.

patanne

I know that they only checked the mot this year because last year the phone message said please wait whilst we check that you have a valid MOT & insurance and this year said please wait whilst we check you have a valid MOT.

jclc

Hintza wrote: »

Just went on to check something and the DVLA website is down, the phone lines are busy all 249 of them, some things never change with government departments.

Very true, it's a simple equation that's stood the test of time
Government department + IT project = Total !!!! up

minislim

redux wrote: »

I have 2 cars, but only use and insure one at a time.

The one in use again now was on SORN while I used the other for a few days.

Last week, I could not retax this car as the V11 renewal form had a reference number which was not recognised, even though SORN had been reported using the registration document reference not the V11.

So I was told on the phone the other day that I could only tax the car in person at the post office, and the soonest to do this to start from 1st October would be 29th September.

It struck me that the V11 reference might not be recognised there either, and the registration document would not be conveniently to hand where I was at the time.

So in the end I phoned up again and after some further discussion had someone manually order me a replacement document and pay the tax. Fortunately for me I did so on Monday not Wednesday.

That has got nothing to do with affordability, or my supposed personal incompetence at foreseeing and arranging my personal affairs throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the other car's tax disc has gone back for a refund of 11 12ths of £230.

I realise that there is something of an unfortunate vogue for unwarranted personal snideness in this particular part of the forum, but even so I respectfully suggest you mind your own business and refrain from patronising others.

if you think my comment was snidey then i suggest leaving this website and going somewhere else to have a moan.

this is a website for helping you save money. my comment merely questioned how people can get into such a mess by leaving it till the last minute. it also included a simple tip on how you can save money and budget for what effectively is a obvious cost in the near future.

i works for me. and i have to deal with taxing 2 motorbikes and 2 cars.

alastairq

somehow i'm not buying the excuse of people not having the money to pay for their tax weeks in advance.

simple budgeting throughout the year can make sure you have the money ready when you need it.

it boils more down to people living beyond their means.

a car that costs £135 a year to tax will only set you back £2.60 per week or £11.25 per month.

now that is easily achievable as you have a whole year to save.

anyway the new way to tax allows you to pay monthly so this makes it even easier now!

Well, whooptidoo!

It is totally irrelevant whether you, or any other individual, 'buys the excuse'.....!

The fact remains, for many who use private transport, simple budgeting in the manner you describe may well not be possible!

For a multitude of reasons!

In the end, it may simply be down to 'cash-flow?'

In any event, the DVLA have launched, advertised, and very actively encouraged all RKs to pay the VED online.

The system has failed.

It should not be down to the customer to take up the slack....either by 'forward-planning', or simply, anticipating that trouble may result.

As for 'living beyond our means?'

Well, what sort of 'helpful' advice is that?

Perhaps in future one should simply restrict one's 'advice' to how to deal with the current situation, rather than taking a hindsight view/opinion on what ought to have been done?

redux

minislim wrote: »

if you think my comment was snidey then i suggest leaving this website and going somewhere else to have a moan.

this is a website for helping you save money. my comment merely questioned how people can get into such a mess by leaving it till the last minute. it also included a simple tip on how you can save money and budget for what effectively is a obvious cost in the near future.

i works for me. and i have to deal with taxing 2 motorbikes and 2 cars.

As my rather boring account points out, there are circumstances where people have to make changes at short notice that simply do not qualify for your aggressively snobby attitude that they are incompetent at running their finances.

The government website in question is a facility that is supposed to work all the time, not create obstacles for people that are attempting to use it in a way that they are perfectly entitled to, nor should they be subjected to misconceived blame-shifting petty pseudo-moralism such as you show here.

If the people composing the DVLA apologies to customers produced such insensitive rubbish as you are, they would soon be looking for new jobs.

patanne

Why should I pay my "road tax" (those pedants amongst you please note the quotes) a day before it is due. I don't pay my council tax or my gas & electric or even my TV license 1 day before it is due, even my credit card is only paid (by DD obviously) on the due date. The only other thing I pay before the due date is my tax bill because they too can't cope with everybody paying the day it is due. This SHOULD be their problem not mine. My only problem should be if I cannot afford to pay. THEY are the ones who need to get their act together not me. My money should stay mine until it is due to be paid to someone else and how much interest I would or would not be paid on that money is irrelevant.

crittertog

payless wrote: »

Why leave it until today ..... It's a bit like everyone waiting at the post office on the first of the month.

Don't know if anyone else is like me, but due to when I bought my car, my insurance expires about 5 days before the tax is due(*). As you always used to need to be able to produce a valid insurance document covering the start of the period being taxed, even though I took out my insurance early, this still led to it being done at or near the last minute, due to the vagaries of the postal system... Of course, that doesn't apply this year, as they removed the requirement to produce a valid insurance document (although it took me 2 reads of the renewal notice to actually realise that!).

* There would have been a 3 month gap between the two due dates had the DSA not had to cancel my driving test, resulting in a multi-month delay whilst it was re-arranged.

mgdavid

patanne wrote: »

Why should I pay my "road tax" (those pedants amongst you please note the quotes) a day before it is due. I don't pay my council tax or my gas & electric or even my TV license 1 day before it is due, even my credit card is only paid (by DD obviously) on the due date. The only other thing I pay before the due date is my tax bill because they too can't cope with everybody paying the day it is due. This SHOULD be their problem not mine. My only problem should be if I cannot afford to pay. THEY are the ones who need to get their act together not me. My money should stay mine until it is due to be paid to someone else and how much interest I would or would not be paid on that money is irrelevant.

your question is answered in your own signature tag.