Wednesday 9th June 2004

Scottish Tax Dodgers Targeted

Grass up your neighbours and get their cars clamped

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Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling, today announced the launch of the new Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) Enforcement Telephone Hotline. Members of the public in Scotland can now report unlicensed vehicles to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on freephone 08000 325 202.

The new freephone hotline makes it easy for members of the public to report untaxed vehicles. Dedicated teams of investigators will then respond to the calls from the public. To support the new initiative extra camera vans and wheel clamping units will be brought in to target motorists who do not tax their vehicles.

This new initiative will also help to improve road safety, as those who evade paying their car tax often have no MOT and drive unroadworthy vehicles and it will help recover the estimated £15 million pounds in unpaid car tax that is lost each year.

Alistair Darling said: "Motorists are fed up with subsidising the small hard core of drivers who evade paying their car tax. These tax dodging drivers cost Scotland nearly £15 million a year in lost revenue.

The new hotline will also help to improve road safety. Many persistent road tax dodgers have no MOT or insurance, drive defective vehicles that put other road users at risk and are often involved in other forms of criminality ".

[will_t]

What about uninsured drivers ? We should be more concerned about the numbers of uninsured drivers on our roads. This "tax dodgers targeted" is about lost Government revenue. When will there be more effective action to stop the unisured driver.

Will

[craigalsop]

article said:

To support the new initiative extra camera vans and wheel clamping units will be brought in

Hmmm, I thought that wheel clamping was considered "extortion" here in Scotland, and thus illegal?

>> Edited by craigalsop on Wednesday 9th June 10:38

[zumbruk]

will_t said:

What about uninsured drivers ? We should be more concerned about the numbers of uninsured drivers on our roads. This "tax dodgers targeted" is about lost Government revenue. When will there be more effective action to stop the unisured driver. Will

The Government only loses a small amount of insurance premium tax when people have no cover, so the answer is "never".

I'm in two minds about those who do not tax their cars. One view says "Why give those lying grasping bastards any more money to piss away?", but OTOH, as the article says, many untaxed drivers have no MOT or insurance, which (IMNHO) are far worse.

All-in-all, just more ways in which the Government is completely failing what it should; protecting those who cannot protect themselves.

[anonymous-user]

craigalsop said:

article said: To support the new initiative extra camera vans and wheel clamping units will be brought in Hmmm, I thought that wheel clamping was considered "extortion" here in Scotland, and thus illegal? >> Edited by craigalsop on Wednesday 9th June 10:38

Ah, but this is Government sanctioned extortion so quite acceptable.

[sook]

Alistair Darling said:

Motorists are fed up with subsidising the small hard core of drivers who evade paying their car tax. These tax dodging drivers cost Scotland nearly £15 million a year in lost revenue.

I'm fed up with my taxes subsidising Johnny Two Jag's pie habit. Surely with his weight, the Jags fuel consumption goes through the roof. Make the bugger walk.

[ianmorewood]

Thought the only place the DVLA had to look nowadays was on a computer screen to know your tax is out of date or is that just more BS?

[RB Will]

ianmorewood said:

Thought the only place the DVLA had to look nowadays was on a computer screen to know your tax is out of date or is that just more BS?

good point!

[williamjohn]

This is all crap you dont grass any i think the police is doing all that they want more more and more money and they are drying all of is and a lot of people dont like driving now because old plod down the road waiting and thinking how can he get money out of you.

Its about time people stike together and block all the police stations and the roads untill they come to they senses we have more cars than them, HE HE

[sook]

williamjohn said:

Its about time people stike together and block all the police stations and the roads untill they come to they senses we have more cars than them, HE HE

Meanwhile your local neighbourhood property removal expert enters your house and removes the TV, stereo and computer. You call the police but they're blockaded in their police station! Great solution.

[williamjohn]

Where do you live what kind of an anser is that you know if you report a robery the siren goes off a mile bevore they reech the house and everybody has gone they dont want things like that to hard work for them.

[sgt^roc]

funny how they ask us to shop our own, and then set ambushes to trap us speeding on perfectly safe road

[wedg1e]

I have mates who own vehicles that have been off the road for years. They are therefore not shown on the DVLA register as 'untaxed'... so they don't tax them.

I'm grassing nobody... especially since I know of 3 people who have been nicked by a scamera in Cumbria that is so cynically placed it beggars belief... long uphill drag, double white centrelines with a crawler lane. Of course it isn't a dual carriageway, but it's one of the few places on the A66 to make any progress, so many do, in relatively perfect safety... and get thugged for it.

Fick 'em.


Ian

[Themoss]

What's wrong with you people? So you're not gonna 'grass up' the bloke with no tax. What, the one who will also have no insurance and not have the car registered in his name, so will NOT be on DVLA records?! This is the same person who will crash into you then drive off and the Police can't trace his vehicle, while you tell everyone the Police arn't interested in your accident? But hey, you're not a 'grass' are you!!! Get real you idiots.

[williamjohn]

What's wrong with you people? So you're gonna 'grass up' the bloke with no tax.well remember one day when something terrible happens to you
The wheel turns around, and what comes around goes around you all know when you want to find a cop.
Where are they and when you don’t want to see one there are hundreds and over halve of them are time wasters.
Haven’t you noticed they cant do anything themselves they have to use there phone and drive the same time and get hundreds more to help. Cowards