Thursday 5th December 2013

No more tax discs!

VED payment continues though. Damn.

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Chancellor George Osborne has announced the tax disc will be abolished as part of his Autumn Statement. It doesn't mean vehicle excise duty will scrapped though (the very thought!), simply that it will be replaced by an electronic system.

Tax discs have been rendered obsolete with the digital database available to the police and DVLA. But not, seemingly, that jobsworth at the Post Office counter. As well as removing the visual tax indicator, the new system will allow a monthly direct debit payment system. For the privilege, expect to pay another five per cent over the normal price of 12 months VED. But the cost of taxing your car in two lots of six months is likely to drop by five per cent too. This is government policy on motoring moving 'into the modern age' apparently.

The changes to vehicle tax are expected to be implemented from October next year. The announcement comes 93 years after the first tax disc appeared, following the Roads Act of 1920. Vehicle Tax has actually been around since 1888 (no Government ever would ever miss a taxation opportunity) in that year's Budget.

[Source: BBC News]

[leedsutd1]

the picture is a made up tax disc isn't it, surley know one pays that much

[V8LM]

On a new V10 R8, yes.

[Speed addicted]

leedsutd1 said:

the picture is a made up tax disc isn't it, surley know one pays that much

First year tax on something interesting. Yup.

[CrutyRammers]

No more paper discs? Good.

[TristPerrin]

About time really. It's really pointless now with the electronic database and numberplate recognition technology.

[graham22]

If I was paying that amount I'd want a tax disc.

Actually adding up what I do pay for different vehicles I'm getting on my way to that.

[Agent Orange]

Marvellous news for Caterham owners. No dilemmas of where to place the tax disc.

[Mermaid]

Pity the manufacturers of licence disc holders

[dazwalsh]

Nice one, no more st on my windscreen. Now the removal of reg plates please....

[rwdvectra]

When I went to the ring a 458 had a tax showing over 1k so it must be the showroom tax you pay for the first year.

[Afromonk]

However, it does beg the question how will sellers of cars prove to buyers that it has so many months of tax left? unless of course you can direct them to an electronic proof?

[jon-]

[Telomerase]

The airodynamics of my Westfield have just improved by 0.001%, now that I can remove the motorbike tax disc holder on the wing. Does this also mean I can tax if for a single month in the winter when normally SORN?

[mrmr96]

Mermaid said:

Pity the manufacturers of licence disc holders

Charging £5 for a 30p holder?

[Kozy]

[quote]The new system will allow people to pay the charge by monthly direct debit.
[/quote]

Finally! I'm surprised it took this bloody long.

£480 a year uber barges suddenly looking curiously more affordable...

[vrooom]

Does it mean I can remove my existing tax disc from screen ?

[Synchromesh]

Afromonk said:

However, it does beg the question how will sellers of cars prove to buyers that it has so many months of tax left? unless of course you can direct them to an electronic proof?

I imagine you'll still get an invoice.

[Mermaid]

vrooom said:

Does it mean I can remove my existing tax disc from screen ?

No, I expect

[dandarez]

Glad I've a lot of my old tax discs from many years past. They are collectable and now fetch good money. This will, in time, make them even more collectable. Don't laugh, it's not just the paper disc, it's what marque is on the disc that can make some rocket in value.

As for the implications and downsides, there are always some, so nothing changes, we (the ordinary jo public) pay for everything, usually more as each year passes.

The many companies that produce or sell the holders for discs. Time to close and redundancies?

As for the technology whereby police and authorities can easily check whether your vehicle is taxed. So, walking along a street of a hundred vehicles what do they do now with no disc viewable - check 'every' vehicle, or just random? I can see even more avoiding paying. Or have I missed the obvious?

As for the snide remark at the Post Office jobsworth, think yourself lucky if you have a post office - in fact, as time passes you are more likely not to have one. Even here in Cameron town the main Post Office that has been in the High St since Victorian times is set for closure - Royal Mail want to relocate it to the back of a small WHSmith in the town. Even the fool Cameron boy is against it!

[mike-r]

Of little consequence, not displayed one for years through my own bone idleness