Bike road tax evasion figures were wrong........
Discussion
Total Bollox in fact;
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults...
Department for Transport admits motorcycle tax evasion figures “were inflated”
By Ben Purvis
Politics & the law
14 February 2008 11:23
New tax evasion figures released today show that only 6.5 percent of bikes seen on the road during surveys are without tax – making a mockery of earlier Department for Transport reports claiming nearly 40 percent of motorcyclists dodged road tax.
The report comes just three weeks after the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee singled out motorcyclists as lawbreakers, saying 38 percent of us were dodging tax.
Then, Committee chairman Edward Leigh said: "Motorists and motorcyclists who refuse to pay road tax are stealing from law-abiding taxpayers and unlicensed cars are often associated with other forms of crime.
"Motorcyclists are particularly liable to evade road tax. Nearly 40% of motorcycles are now unlicensed.”
But now it seems we were branded as criminals on the basis of figures even the Department for Transport admits were inaccurate.
Even the highest figure mentioned in the new “Vehicle Excise Duty Evasion: 2007” report, an estimate based on the idea that as tax dodgers don’t want to be caught, they use their bikes less, only puts a figure of 9.8 percent on the number of bikes dodging tax, and the only substantiated figure, revealing how many untaxed bikes were actually seen, puts the number at just 6.5 percent.
A DfT spokesperson told MCN: “These surveys used to be almost entirely done by noting down numberplates as vehicles passed, and checking against the database to see if they were taxed.
"To improve it, this time we have used ANPR [Automatic Number Plate Recognition] for most of the survey, and although motorcycles are still done manually as ANPR cameras don’t pick up their rear number plates, it meant the data was double checked and made for a more accurate survey.
“There was less opportunity for error because bike number plates were checked against the ANPR database, and if that number came up as belonging to a car, there was clearly an error in the way the number had been noted down.
“It was the best we could do at the time, but in previous years the estimates have been inflated.”
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults...
Department for Transport admits motorcycle tax evasion figures “were inflated”
By Ben Purvis
Politics & the law
14 February 2008 11:23
New tax evasion figures released today show that only 6.5 percent of bikes seen on the road during surveys are without tax – making a mockery of earlier Department for Transport reports claiming nearly 40 percent of motorcyclists dodged road tax.
The report comes just three weeks after the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee singled out motorcyclists as lawbreakers, saying 38 percent of us were dodging tax.
Then, Committee chairman Edward Leigh said: "Motorists and motorcyclists who refuse to pay road tax are stealing from law-abiding taxpayers and unlicensed cars are often associated with other forms of crime.
"Motorcyclists are particularly liable to evade road tax. Nearly 40% of motorcycles are now unlicensed.”
But now it seems we were branded as criminals on the basis of figures even the Department for Transport admits were inaccurate.
Even the highest figure mentioned in the new “Vehicle Excise Duty Evasion: 2007” report, an estimate based on the idea that as tax dodgers don’t want to be caught, they use their bikes less, only puts a figure of 9.8 percent on the number of bikes dodging tax, and the only substantiated figure, revealing how many untaxed bikes were actually seen, puts the number at just 6.5 percent.
A DfT spokesperson told MCN: “These surveys used to be almost entirely done by noting down numberplates as vehicles passed, and checking against the database to see if they were taxed.
"To improve it, this time we have used ANPR [Automatic Number Plate Recognition] for most of the survey, and although motorcycles are still done manually as ANPR cameras don’t pick up their rear number plates, it meant the data was double checked and made for a more accurate survey.
“There was less opportunity for error because bike number plates were checked against the ANPR database, and if that number came up as belonging to a car, there was clearly an error in the way the number had been noted down.
“It was the best we could do at the time, but in previous years the estimates have been inflated.”
ts when you know they'll release some crap, sensationalist headlines and then the real figures are sneaked out to a fraction of the initial audience.
Conian said:
Is there maybe some truth in the statement "38% of bikes are currently unlicenced.." if you consider the amount of:
Race bikes
Track bikes
Moto-X bikes
bikes SORN-ed over winter.
Even if 38% was accurate, it was still used way out of contex obviously.
Isn't it a crime to publish lies?
I think they were just being clever with the words, making out that currently unlicenced = road tax evasion.Race bikes
Track bikes
Moto-X bikes
bikes SORN-ed over winter.
Even if 38% was accurate, it was still used way out of contex obviously.
Isn't it a crime to publish lies?
Maybe they'd count me in as being untaxed as well. After having 2 tax discs stolen followed by 2 colour photo-copies of tax discs, I just don't bother any more. It's a PITA getting a replacement + the cost of the replacement + cost of another tax disc holder cos the theiving barstewards always take part of the holder with them for some reason.
These days I leave the tax disc in a drawer at home. Nice & safe
These days I leave the tax disc in a drawer at home. Nice & safe
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