Car tax paper display might be coming back

renegadefm

Road tax evasion triples since paper discs abolished

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport/2020/06/04/road-tax-evasion-triples-since-paper-discs-abolished/

Supersonos

I saw "expressandstar" and, funnily enough, didn't bother clicking on the link to this "story".

renegadefm

Supersonos said:

I saw "expressandstar" and, funnily enough, didn't bother clicking on the link to this "story".

But the Department for Transport says that last year the figure had trebled to 634,000.
Why would they lie? 

AdrianC

Because, obvs, what's really needed in 2020 is to make the primary record of vehicle taxation... a small-but-colourful piece of paper.

facade

The paper disc would be the secondary record, like the current paper MOT.

I think it is a good idea (so it won't happen), judging by the number of people who don't realise that "fee tax" = zero VED = you still have to tax it, and the people who "didn't get a reminder"- all of whom are counted as "evaders"

Herzlos

I always figured it made more sense to have some kind of combined MOT/insurance disc instead, but anyone would check digitally anyway.

Maybe it'd make more sense if the car was able to remind users once a year that tax is due. My last few have nagged me about services so it's not that big a change.

Car_54

Car tax paper display might be coming back

But there is absolutely nothing in the linked report to support that statement.

All we have is one publicity-seeking MP saying the DVLA should "look" at bringing it back, on a slow news day in Wolverhampton

AdrianC

facade said:

The paper disc would be the secondary record

Then it would be as irrelevant as the old MOT windscreen sticker was, since the primary record is the one that would need to be checked before any penalty was issued. Just the same as now.

Herzlos said:

I always figured it made more sense to have some kind of combined MOT/insurance disc instead, but anyone would check digitally anyway.

How's that work when insurance/MOT/tax are time-separated? I've got cars that have MOT but no insurance or tax. I've got cars that have insurance and MOT but no tax. All perfectly legally...

Maybe it'd make more sense if the car was able to remind users once a year that tax is due. My last few have nagged me about services so it's not that big a change.

How do you tell the car that it's just been insured and/or taxed or SORNed?
How does the car know if it's MOT exempt or not?

You know the dealer resets the service clock, and it then "counts down" itself? I've only got one vehicle with a dash service counter. To reset it, you press and hold one button while turning the ignition on, then you can choose the mileage interval.

TooManyPoints

There's a simple solution for those people who forget to renew their tax, insurance and MoT. Get a piece of paper and a pen (a pencil will do equally well). Write on the paper "Insurance expires dd/mm/yyyy"; "Tax expires dd/mm/yyyy"; "MoT expires dd/mm/yyyy". Then get some sticky backed plastic (the type use on Blue Peter) and stick the piece of paper in a prominent position (e.g. the glove box door) inside the car so that it can be readily seen by the driver. Simples!

AdrianC

TooManyPoints said:

There's a simple solution for those people who forget to renew their tax, insurance and MoT. Get a piece of paper and a pen (a pencil will do equally well). Write on the paper "Insurance expires dd/mm/yyyy"; "Tax expires dd/mm/yyyy"; "MoT expires dd/mm/yyyy". Then get some sticky backed plastic (the type use on Blue Peter) and stick the piece of paper in a prominent position (e.g. the glove box door) inside the car so that it can be readily seen by the driver. Simples!

Totally unnecessary, of course.

We all have calendars that we carry about with us all day. Insurers contact you about the renewal. DVLA contact you about tax renewal. It's trivially easy to get an MOT reminder (https://www.gov.uk/mot-reminder).

Anyway, it's not a sin of omission. Simply failing to renew tax is automatically prosecuted these days - the only way to avoid that is to actively declare the car SORNed. And let's not forget that the average VED is far cheaper than it's ever been... In 2016, the average new car in the UK was £30/year - last time it was that cheap was the early 70s, even ignoring inflation.

renegadefm

I must admit, I'm one of those that actually misses a tax disc in the window.  The perfect constant reminder in my view.