Bit confused about new UK road tax laws??

Bit confused about new UK road tax laws??

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redtwin

7,518 posts

181 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
quotequote all
JonRB said:
The Telegraph have an interesting article here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance...

One thing they point out, which I hadn't thought of, is what happens if you borrow / hire / rent a vehicle? The onus is now on you to check online if it is taxed or face a £50 fine, whereas before you could simply look at the tax disc.

Only a few months ago I had a Courtesy Car from a garage and noticed that the tax disc had expired, and immediately alerted them. I was told it was a leased vehicle and the tax had automatically been renewed but the new disc hadn't been placed on there. But without the tax disc I probably wouldn't even have thought to check.
But the £50 fine would be payable by the registered keeper, would it not?.


Pablo68

910 posts

134 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
quotequote all
Am I the only one who wonders what tool set this start on oct 1st not sept 1st? Now thousands of 64 plate owners will get a tax disc that lasts for two weeks.... Or is it a silent admission the system can't cope with the flood of new registrations?

DonkeyApple

54,919 posts

168 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
quotequote all
Pablo68 said:
Am I the only one who wonders what tool set this start on oct 1st not sept 1st? Now thousands of 64 plate owners will get a tax disc that lasts for two weeks.... Or is it a silent admission the system can't cope with the flood of new registrations?
Why go live with a new system at a known busy point?

Pan Pan

1,116 posts

126 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Welshbeef said:
The change is a great move

1. Save the DVLA (tax payer) money on stationary physical tax discs and the postage costs.
2. When you sell a car you only lose the balance on the current month to the new owner the remainder goes directly back to you from DVLA
3. No more haggling with a buyer on how much tax the car has as in effect every car will only ever come with up to 30 days of tax on it.
4. Uses technology to catch those who don't pay/removes the "oh I saw chap from number 3 looking at my car he must have shooed me in - let's sort him out" etc.



Bad move
1. Not everyone has the Internet at home so would have to go to the library
2. Older people may not use the Internet at all and accidentally think its taxes when not and then face fines
3. If Scotland leaves the UK they will have a different system
4. Why isn't this an EU wide scheme - allowing for different bindings relevant for each countries choice of taxing. It should be.
5. Annoying for those sad people like me who really like collecting all my old VED they will be missed

How will it impact SORN? Some classic car events for showing cars require you to show the Tax disc to help the organisers know if its tax free or not



Overall a superb move by the UK govt well done

Now hurry up with the V5 being all electronic too.
Whilst some put the paper tax disc in a purpose made holder on some open topped cars. I never really bothered and just had it in a windscreen mounted holder, but I guess I always wondered if I would find my tax disc `lifted' at some time, so for me this is a good move by the government.

McSam

6,753 posts

174 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
ITP said:
This selling the car thing can't be right, it's a total scam that will be exposed immediately surely?

For example, going forward a year or so well into the new regime, if mr x sells his car, which was taxed to december 31, on 15th september he will be refunded oct/nov/dec tax. He loses the last 2 weeks in sept.
If mr y picks up the car on 15 sept surely he gets billed from oct 1, as the DVLA has already had the tax from mr x up to the end of sept., they know that because that's what they refunded him. mr y has had 2 weeks 'free' tax but the DVLA has lost nothing, the car is continuously taxed with no breaks, just a change of owner 1 month to the next? Not rocket science for computer database surely?
You're exactly right, this would be a very simple way to do it. Except the other, equally simple way of doing it - forcing the new buyer to pay again for the month the seller couldn't reclaim - earns more money for nothing whatsoever.

I'll give you one guess which route they've chosen.

JonRB

74,390 posts

271 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Making it run for whole months is an artificial construct now anyway. After all, it's just a date field in a database. The only reason we had whole months with the paper tax disc was that they were pre-printed and sent in bulk to Post Offices.

Collectingbrass

2,197 posts

194 months

Friday 29th August 2014
quotequote all
Despite no longer having a disc to display, I can see these becoming very popular

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Have-Paid-Some-Potholes-Ho...

dxg

8,121 posts

259 months

Sunday 7th September 2014
quotequote all
DonkeyApple said:
Pablo68 said:
Am I the only one who wonders what tool set this start on oct 1st not sept 1st? Now thousands of 64 plate owners will get a tax disc that lasts for two weeks.... Or is it a silent admission the system can't cope with the flood of new registrations?
Why go live with a new system at a known busy point?
Well here's something.


My tax runs out at the end of this month. Renewed online this morning and the final screen says:

"Thank you for your payment
The law has changed, you do not need to display a tax disc, therefore we will not issue one to you."

I thought you still had to display a disc until the end of this month?

Anyway, I've got the print out and I'm off to take the disc out my car* - damn ugly things that they are.
* or am I?

MrOnTheRopes

1,418 posts

245 months

Sunday 7th September 2014
quotequote all
dxg said:
Well here's something.


My tax runs out at the end of this month. Renewed online this morning and the final screen says:

"Thank you for your payment
The law has changed, you do not need to display a tax disc, therefore we will not issue one to you."

I thought you still had to display a disc until the end of this month?

Anyway, I've got the print out and I'm off to take the disc out my car* - damn ugly things that they are.
* or am I?
Same here. Keep the current disc on display until it expires, as the law doesn't change until Oct 1st.



walm

10,609 posts

201 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
dxg said:
My tax runs out at the end of this month...
I thought you still had to display a disc until the end of this month?
What on earth makes you think you don't need to display a disc during September?

JonRB

74,390 posts

271 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
dxg said:
I thought you still had to display a disc until the end of this month?

Anyway, I've got the print out and I'm off to take the disc out my car* - damn ugly things that they are.
* or am I?
I believe you do. So just display the one that runs out at the end of the month until it runs out at the end of the month.

dxg

8,121 posts

259 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
walm said:
dxg said:
My tax runs out at the end of this month...
I thought you still had to display a disc until the end of this month?
What on earth makes you think you don't need to display a disc during September?
The fact that the message on the government's own website is written in the past tense.

I'm fully aware that the law doesn't actually change until 1st October, but the site says otherwise.

danjama

5,728 posts

141 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
Anybody else miffed by the thousands of private sellers still advertising their car with loads of tax left? Do they not realise?

V8forweekends

2,481 posts

123 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
danjama said:
Anybody else miffed by the thousands of private sellers still advertising their car with loads of tax left? Do they not realise?
No, probably.

walm

10,609 posts

201 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
dxg said:
walm said:
dxg said:
My tax runs out at the end of this month...
I thought you still had to display a disc until the end of this month?
What on earth makes you think you don't need to display a disc during September?
The fact that the message on the government's own website is written in the past tense.

I'm fully aware that the law doesn't actually change until 1st October, but the site says otherwise.
Ah - fair enough. That is very poorly worded. The concept of explaining why they aren't sending you a disc appears too hard for them to put into actual English.

To those advertising - if you sell before 1st Oct then the tax is still transferable no?

ReedyDS3

353 posts

175 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
V8forweekends said:
danjama said:
Anybody else miffed by the thousands of private sellers still advertising their car with loads of tax left? Do they not realise?
No, probably.
but surely if sold prior to 1st October then the tax will continue to run? Or is it that all cars sold where the tax overlaps the change date effectively lose the RFL on the "disc" and have to reapply? Confused?

Sheepshanks

32,519 posts

118 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
dxg said:
walm said:
dxg said:
My tax runs out at the end of this month...
I thought you still had to display a disc until the end of this month?
What on earth makes you think you don't need to display a disc during September?
The fact that the message on the government's own website is written in the past tense.

I'm fully aware that the law doesn't actually change until 1st October, but the site says otherwise.
We got a new disk (new car) for 1st Sept. Printed on plain paper to save us money, apparently. It does say to cut it out and stick it in the windscreen, but then it also says they Police etc no longer rely on the disk to check if the vehicle is taxed or not.

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
For so many used car buyers who have made good fortune at sellers expense relating to he tax left on it now have to think outside of the box why they think a like for like car is worth less tax length cannot be used. Happy days.

Terminator X

14,920 posts

203 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
We're on the tipping point of the "computer says no" age, to be embraced of course wink Those of us of a certain age will fondly remember the tax discs, handbrakes, power assisted steering etc. Completely un-related, have I mentioned that our car won't let us drive off until the seatbelt is engaged spin

TX.

andy118run

866 posts

205 months

Monday 8th September 2014
quotequote all
ReedyDS3 said:
V8forweekends said:
danjama said:
Anybody else miffed by the thousands of private sellers still advertising their car with loads of tax left? Do they not realise?
No, probably.
but surely if sold prior to 1st October then the tax will continue to run? Or is it that all cars sold where the tax overlaps the change date effectively lose the RFL on the "disc" and have to reapply? Confused?
Nothing to be confused about as far as I can see - buy a car on 30/09 with 12 months tax (unlikely, I know) and Bob's your uncle. Do the same a day later and it's a different story.