RE: No more tax discs!

[Coldfuse]

peterg1955 said:

sadly no, what they mean is you can pay for it monthly but you will still be required to tax for 6 or 12 months at a time (AIUI)

Well in theory you could just cancel it after a month and re-Sorn?

[dxg]

Hmmm...

So now it will no longer be possible to raise the benefit of the doubt if the database says 'no' and your tax disc says 'yes.' Discretion will be removed from the roadside bobby.

Call me paranoid, but this could be very useful to those who want to stop someone being mobile. A quick side of the road of the check because 'database says no' and no more car (because insurance will also be invalid)...

Also call me paranoid, but what happened to all the talk of the "tamper-proof (with embedded RFID)" number plates that were discussed at length on here when that technology was last mooted (years back)?

I would not be surprised if they came along soon, with embedded insurance tag (and maybe VED too) - like the German plates...

Or maybe things will get better and VED will finally be abolished and simply added to fuel - that's a far fairer way of doing things; but when has fairness ever factored in governance?

Or maybe the Gemini and OBD-III GPS requirement will eventually come to pass and we'll be tracked per mile as well as paying per mile (yes, I know we're tracked through checkpoint cameras already).

[mikeyr]

MEC said:

Also if they get everyone on monthly DD the rises will seem easier to bear when they talk about "just an extra £5.00 per month" rather than £60.00 a year......much like when fuel started to be priced in litres rather than gallons?

Yep!

Off topic... Oddly enough we'd probably be a little less stressed by fuel costs if we could do the same. The "fuel" costs of electric car will effectively be done by monthly DD. And because they are charged over night it will get assimilated into the running costs of a house.

Indeed, part of the issue with petrol/diesel is that you have to stand by your car watching the cost go up for several minutes. That is depressing viewing!

[Mermaid]

dxg said:

Hmmm...
Or maybe things will get better and VED will finally be abolished and simply added to fuel - that's a far fairer way of doing things; but when has fairness ever factored in governance?

Eminently fair

[MDian]

Speed addicted said:

First year tax on something interesting. Yup.

On an Audi R 5.2 no less!!!

[anonymous-user]

Nick Young said:

SaudiJim said:

I suspect that the seller will have to cancel the direct debit and the buyer will have to start a new direct debit before driving away.

Call me cynical but this will probably result in the government receiving two lots of tax for the same month. Currently, they do not refund payments of partial months and I don't see this changing.

The tax should be added to fuel but that is too simple.

I agree with you - also makes it next to impossible to avoid. However, currently I have to pay £475 regardless of whether I do 1 mile or 100,000 in a year. If they put the tax on fuel, they won't get as much income from the significant number of people that have an interesting car but don't do that many miles each year.

Guess there is the two car family scenario. By not putting it on fuel they get extra revenue even when one car isn't being used.

[Richard A]

liamthedude said:

Did I read the article correctly?

12 months tax 5% up
6 months tax 5% down

I don't understand, surely everyone will just get 6 months then?? or will 12 months still work out cheaper??

12 months is only 5% more if you opt for a monthly rather than annual DD.

[mikeyr]

dxg said:

Hmmm...etc

Don't take this the wrong way DXG but if it was the other way round and you were now being told you had to put a sticker on your car showing it was insured and MOT'd what would your reaction be?

Whilst I wouldn't condone the non-payment of road tax it is, from a safety and fairness viewpoint, much less important to me that knowing that the car heading towards me is a) roadworthy and b) insured.

All of the above needs to be checked via electronic methods too.

[mikeyr]

Mermaid said:

dxg said:

Hmmm...
Or maybe things will get better and VED will finally be abolished and simply added to fuel - that's a far fairer way of doing things; but when has fairness ever factored in governance?

Eminently fair

Agree!

[MDian]

SaudiJim said:

I suspect that the seller will have to cancel the direct debit and the buyer will have to start a new direct debit before driving away.

Not much use if the buyer has paid for an entire 6 or 12 months in a one-off payment; how can they cancel a monthly DD then? More likely a case that you can download a certificate if needed.

[ooo000ooo]

Some of us will still have to display these http://www.dvtani.gov.uk/News/newsdetails.asp?id=1...

[RemarkLima]

dxg said:

Call me paranoid, but this could be very useful to those who want to stop someone being mobile. A quick side of the road of the check because 'database says no' and no more car (because insurance will also be invalid)...

Isn't no tax a civil offence, and hence just warrants a fine? Only a lack of insurance and / or MOT is criminal, and would stop you from being able to drive any further?

I may be wrong...

[KTF]

Richard A said:

12 months is only 5% more if you opt for a monthly rather than annual DD.

'is only' Nice spin there

Then when they put the prices up it will be 'only a few more £whatever' a month.

[V8 FOU]

How will bridges / tolls etc check that you are disabled? They usually look at the tax disc - the blue badge normally not deemed to be sufficient proof. AFAIK only Dartford crossing has anpr

[jonkers]

I'm guessing you'll get a receipt for your online payment. I might display that in my windscreen!
The downside is it'd be printed on A4..

[Hugo a Gogo]

dxg said:

I would not be surprised if they came along soon, with embedded insurance tag (and maybe VED too) - like the German plates...

german plates don't have embedded insurange tags, just a badge for the HU (MoT)

you have to show insurance to get a number plate though, but you could always stop paying it (only the database will catch you, immediately on the 'stop list' for the cops)

[jdcampbell]

Moving to a monthly DD is a way of creating a situation where they can sneak in bigger tax increases without making it so obvious.

Saying your tax is going up £5 per month seems more palatable than "we're increasing your road tax by £60 this year".

Stand by for rapidly increasing tax bills..........

[qube_TA]

Dang, when I'd just bought a new holder for my Saxo:

http://www.icedrainbow.com/Crystallised_Encrusted_...

[Getragdogleg]

I run a large fleet of vehicles and the quickest way to check when tax is due on any of them is to walk past and look at what the disc says.

I might make my own.

[RobM77]

This is awesome news. I've been struggling for ages to find somewhere to put a tax disc on my 2-Eleven. I've designed a rollbar mounted holder and was going to make it at the weekend, but this article's saved me the trouble!