EV clamped for no tax

Author
Discussion

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

255 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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98elise said:
Why? MOT and Insurance are electronic so there should be no need for tax @0 to check.
The rather obvious point being missed is that you don't need insurance if the car is declared SORN (and kept off the road), so they need to know whether the car is being used or not. It takes a couple of minutes to do, and costs nothing so why are people making such a fuss?

768

13,681 posts

96 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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TooMany2cvs said:
768 said:
Eh? Is it easier for millions of drivers to unreliably do something or not every year, or for who/whatever is checking to use a system that does a database lookup at near zero cost and near perfect accuracy?
This year - my car costs money for VED. Next year - it's 40, so it's free.
This year - band A is £0 VED. Next year - it's gone up to £20.

Should the entire process change for those vehicles?
Changing the entire process? You mean not going through a payment process when there's no fee required?

If so, unless there's a good reason I'm just not aware of, I can't see any reason no to. It seems about the most trivial change you could make to any process. If it stops people getting cars clamped just because that's how the system always worked it seems crazy not to.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

126 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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768 said:
TooMany2cvs said:
768 said:
Eh? Is it easier for millions of drivers to unreliably do something or not every year, or for who/whatever is checking to use a system that does a database lookup at near zero cost and near perfect accuracy?
This year - my car costs money for VED. Next year - it's 40, so it's free.
This year - band A is £0 VED. Next year - it's gone up to £20.

Should the entire process change for those vehicles?
Changing the entire process?
No, I mean "changing the entire process" for that car.
Currently, there's no change to the process. You do the same thing each year.
If £0 VED cars just totally bypassed the whole VED system, then the keeper would have a totally different process to follow should the car become/cease to be £0.

768 said:
You mean not going through a payment process when there's no fee required?
You don't go through a "payment process" currently for £0 VED cars.

Let's say band A goes from £0 to £20 next year. On the day that that took effect, EVERY SINGLE Band A vehicle keeper would have to either tax or SORN their car, if they currently bypassed the whole process.

Basically, it comes down to people thinking "Ooh, VED exempt" when they aren't - they're £0 VED. It's clearer if you think about older cars. Pre-1960 MOT exemption is an exemption - you never need to do anything. Historic VED is not an exemption, it's £0, as is Band A for <100g/km.

Antony Moxey

8,069 posts

219 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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768 said:
Antony Moxey said:
They do, but should anyone need to check the status of your car then should they assume that because you haven't paid anything you're zero rated? Or is it easier for the driver to fill out a form online once a year that takes literally no more than a minute or two. Some people appear intent on finding problems just for the sake of it.
Eh? Is it easier for millions of drivers to unreliably do something or not every year, or for who/whatever is checking to use a system that does a database lookup at near zero cost and near perfect accuracy?
Sorry, you're going to have to translate that into English. I have no idea what you're trying to say.

768

13,681 posts

96 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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TooMany2cvs said:
Let's say band A goes from £0 to £20 next year. On the day that that took effect, EVERY SINGLE Band A vehicle keeper would have to either tax or SORN their car, if they currently bypassed the whole process.
Couldn't you simply, if it's not SORN, treat it as effectively taxed at £0 from a given date (initial sale, last tax period paid, whatever is appropriate) and send out the tax due letter a month in advance whenever their £0 year(s) runs out after such a change.

Even if you did just have EVERY SINGLE Band A vehicle keeper taxing their car for the same date that could be done over the month in advance and during any grace period. I can't see any great drama there.

768

13,681 posts

96 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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Antony Moxey said:
768 said:
Antony Moxey said:
They do, but should anyone need to check the status of your car then should they assume that because you haven't paid anything you're zero rated? Or is it easier for the driver to fill out a form online once a year that takes literally no more than a minute or two. Some people appear intent on finding problems just for the sake of it.
Eh? Is it easier for millions of drivers to unreliably do something or not every year, or for who/whatever is checking to use a system that does a database lookup at near zero cost and near perfect accuracy?
Sorry, you're going to have to translate that into English. I have no idea what you're trying to say.
It seems daft to make people do what computers do better.

vsonix

3,858 posts

163 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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BlueMR2 said:
From that check its not got an MOT either.
yeah, shouldn't it have one after three years?

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

126 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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vsonix said:
BlueMR2 said:
From that check its not got an MOT either.
yeah, shouldn't it have one after three years?
Yep. Which, for that Leaf, was December.

So we've got a car with no insurance, no MOT - and people are saying it's SOOOO unfair that the keeper has to jump through that trivial VED hoop...

CanAm

9,206 posts

272 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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andy_s said:
Yes, but not at a glance like a tax disc, which also shows insurance is covered.
No it doesn't (or rather, didn't). It shows it was insured on the day the tax was due but not, for example, a week later.

Durzel

12,270 posts

168 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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768 said:
Couldn't you simply, if it's not SORN, treat it as effectively taxed at £0 from a given date (initial sale, last tax period paid, whatever is appropriate) and send out the tax due letter a month in advance whenever their £0 year(s) runs out after such a change.

Even if you did just have EVERY SINGLE Band A vehicle keeper taxing their car for the same date that could be done over the month in advance and during any grace period. I can't see any great drama there.
What is "it" and who is treating "it"?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Police in car systems probably tell them that a car either has tax or it doesn't, not what band the car is in (which could change), not how much they should be paying (which could change), etc.

The guy you were replying to made a very good point in so much as if everyone currently in Band A paying nothing for tax didn't have to bother going through the motions the same as everyone else, then if/when the government decided to abolish Band A, change the parameters of it, or charge for it - everyone who previously has never bothered to go through the process of taxing their car, because they were exempt from the process, would be untaxed - since there would be no expiry date for something they've never had to apply for - and would immediately have to do it. There would have to be a nationwide advertising campaign, letters, etc telling people about it. Even with that you'd still get legions of people falling foul of the change for all the usual reasons - inertia, ignorance, stupidity, etc.

I honestly don't get why people seem to want to overcomplicate a very simple and effective system with something that is fraught with operational issues?

I imagine it must take all of about 5 minutes to apply for tax for a Band A car currently, since no payment is required.

Cliftonite

8,408 posts

138 months

Sunday 23rd April 2017
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CanAm said:
andy_s said:
Yes, but not at a glance like a tax disc, which also shows insurance is covered.
No it doesn't (or rather, didn't). It shows it was insured on the day the tax was due but not, for example, a week later.
No check is now made as to whether a vehicle is insured when an application is made to 'tax' it. Validity of MoT IS still checked electronically, though.


Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

255 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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Cliftonite said:
No check is now made as to whether a vehicle is insured when an application is made to 'tax' it. Validity of MoT IS still checked electronically, though.
When was this changed?

mackay45

832 posts

171 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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Maybe they didn't park it there on purpose but just ran out of juice? Is it still there OP?

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

126 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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Mr2Mike said:
Cliftonite said:
No check is now made as to whether a vehicle is insured when an application is made to 'tax' it. Validity of MoT IS still checked electronically, though.
When was this changed?
December 2013.
https://online.postoffice.co.uk/webApp/CarTax?camp...

98elise

26,601 posts

161 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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Can you opt for the monthly direct debit option for a zero rated car?


Gavia

7,627 posts

91 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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98elise said:
Can you opt for the monthly direct debit option for a zero rated car?
I'm sure they could have for insurance, if they'd bothered with it.

brrapp

3,701 posts

162 months

Monday 24th April 2017
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Vipers said:
untakenname said:
Took a pic earlier in the day
Bad place to abandon it, bend in the road or a junction, either way, bit of a blind spot.
Maybe someone pushed it onto the road to allow them dig up the pavement/driveway?

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

255 months

Thursday 27th April 2017
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TooMany2cvs said:
What I meant was It used to be checked at the time of application when applying online, did that change at the same time?

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

126 months

Friday 28th April 2017
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Mr2Mike said:
TooMany2cvs said:
What I meant was It used to be checked at the time of application when applying online, did that change at the same time?
Yes.

Andehh

7,110 posts

206 months

Friday 28th April 2017
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swerni said:
Harsh? yes
Funny? very !
Compleely agree!


Though parking like that deserves to be clamped. Parked on a bend/junction, feet from the curb, feet from construction taking place....