Monday 15th October 2012

DVLA in 'cutting red tape' shocker

Less paperwork required to get your tax disc from the post office

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We’ve probably all been there. You’ve spent your whole lunch hour queuing to renew your tax disc (yes, you can do it online but you didn’t quite get round to it…), you finally reach the counter proud to be Doing The Right Thing and then some jobsworth takes issue with the emailed insurance certificate that’s all you have because your insurer no longer sends out hard copies. And refuses to sell you a tax disc. It’s an even bigger problem if you’ve just bought a car and, though you can insure it on the spot on the phone or online, without paperwork they won’t sell you a tax disc, despite the fact the police – and indeed anyone with an internet connection – can instantly tell whether or not you’re insured via the Motor Insurance Database.

Ask MID website instantly confirms cover

But in a most ungovernmental approach to good sense and reducing red tape Roads Minister Stephen Hammond has today announced a consultation with the intention of removing the requirement to present your insurance documents when renewing your tax disc.

“There is absolutely no benefit in making motorists prove they have insurance when they buy a tax disc now that we regularly check existing databases for insurance under Continues Insurance Enforcement rules,” says Hammond in a DVLA press release.

“The introduction of Continuous Insurance Enforcement last year was always designed to provide a more robust and technology driven solution to ensuring that vehicles have insurance in place,” continues Ashton West of the Motor Insurance Database.”

The consultation starts today and runs until November 26; have your say here.

[IanJ9375]

Why not go the whole hog and remove the need to display a disc at all?
Even less red tape and just have a db such as the askmid site to confirm a licence is in place?