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The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

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  • The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

    The End Of The Road For Paper Tax Discs


    The Tax Disc in it's paper form has been with us since 1921, but from 1st October 2014 it will no longer be used as proof that Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) has been paid in respect to that vehicle.



    First announced in the Autumn Statement 2013, Chancellor George Osborne proposed the measure to reduce administration costs to the DVLA, businesses and motorists. The estimated annual savings to the DVLA are in the region of £7 million and will allow families to spread the cost and help manage their increasingly squeezed household budgets.


    But what does this mean to the average motorist? What are the likely benefits or pitfalls?


    Long gone is the good old excuse of “Tax is in the post, honest Officer” or skilfully crafting a beer mat or fag packet in the correct “colour de jour”, slipped into your windscreen hoping to fool your local village bobby.


    Today’s technology and instant database access has rendered the use of paper tax discs obsolete. ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras networks have been able to track UK vehicle movements in real time since March 2006. They are a part of our daily lives, installed on motorways, cities, town centres, filling stations and patrol vehicles, no matter what your opinions of them, they are here to stay.



    To the majority of us law abiding motorists this is a welcomed reform, it gives flexibility of payment, being able to spread the cost in 6 or 12 lots of monthly instalments directly from your bank account, attracting a lower surcharge for buying bi-annually. A typical Ford Focus driver who currently pays VED bi-annually and continues to do so would be £9 better off over the year in the direct debit scheme, presuming none are bounced.




    It means less stress hunting out paperwork consigned to the abyss of “somewhere safe”......... “I'm sure I put it in that folder under the bed......ahhh....this is where the hamster has been living for the past 2 months”


    For the others, (you know who you are!!) buying a different “taxed and tested” vehicle every few months because you never bothered to sit your driving test, gave up after failing for the nineteenth time, or think that the rules don't apply to you, think again. In future when a vehicle is sold the tax will no longer be transferred with it, the obligation transfers to the new owner. Any remaining full months of VED will automatically be refunded to the seller, it is the buyers responsibility to purchase their own VED before they can legally use the vehicle.


    A few key tips to avoid the downsides are:-
    • Make sure the sale takes place at the beginning/end of the month to get value for money. If selling only full months VED will be refunded and if buying only complete months can be purchased.
    • If paying monthly by direct debit, ensure enough funds are available to avoid missed payments, failing to do so would cancel the VED and if you continue to use your vehicle you will be doing so illegally.
    • Bouncing a direct debit could also incur hefty bank charges, don't get caught out!
    • ALWAYS make sure you get proof of postage when you send off your V5C (logbook), the DVLA have a nasty habit of “losing” paperwork. Ask for confirmation of receipt from the buyer with their details.



    Anyone is able to check the status of Tax & MOT of a vehicle for free, simply by going to www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax , all you need is the vehicle registration number and the make, this is the approved UK Government site, be wary of others that may even charge a fee for doing this simple check.


    Should you have any comments or concerns about the upcoming changes we would love to hear from you on this thread








    Last edited by Tools; 7th June 2014, 17:36:PM.
    Any opinions I give are my own. Any advice I give is without liability. If you are unsure, please seek qualified legal advice.

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  • #2
    Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

    Hmm.... knowing how incompetent the authorities are with computer systems, I have concerns as The Vehicle Excise and Regulation Act 1984 and the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 authorise the Police, local authorities & licensing authorities, to remove and dispose of untaxed vehicles.
    How long before a taxed vehicle is removed because the records are wrong?

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

      I would say somewhere around October 2nd 2014
      Any opinions I give are my own. Any advice I give is without liability. If you are unsure, please seek qualified legal advice.

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      • #4
        Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

        Thanks, that's a handy link to bookmark and also shows expiry date of the MoT, which the other dvla site didn't unless you had the V5 or mot number.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

          Yes Panther, it is the Beta test. Much better in my opinion and have completed the survey to say so.
          Any opinions I give are my own. Any advice I give is without liability. If you are unsure, please seek qualified legal advice.

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          Comment


          • #6
            Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

            also here :tinysmile_twink_t2: http://www.legalbeagles.info/forums/...isc&highlight=

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

              "For the others, (you know who you are!!) buying a different “taxed and tested” vehicle every few months because you never bothered to sit your driving test, gave up after failing for the nineteenth time, or think that the rules don't apply to you, think again. In future when a vehicle is sold the tax will no longer be transferred with it, the obligation transfers to the new owner. Any remaining full months of VED will automatically be refunded to the seller, it is the buyers responsibility to purchase their own VED before they can legally use the vehicle."

              I don't buy this reason; it's just another government rip off to effectively gain VED for an extra month every time a vehicle is sold. There is no valid reason for this change, unless VED can be purchased and refunded on a daily basis, better still, do as the French did fourteen years ago; abolish it altogether.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

                Originally posted by Cynic View Post
                "
                I don't buy this reason; it's just another government rip off to effectively gain VED for an extra month every time a vehicle is sold. There is no valid reason for this change, unless VED can be purchased and refunded on a daily basis, better still, do as the French did fourteen years ago; abolish it altogether.
                Hence my advice in this paragraph

                A few key tips to avoid the downsides are:-

                • Make sure the sale takes place at the beginning/end of the month to get value for money. If selling only full months VED will be refunded and if buying only complete months can be purchased.
                Any opinions I give are my own. Any advice I give is without liability. If you are unsure, please seek qualified legal advice.

                IF WE HAVE HELPED YOU PLEASE CONSIDER UPGRADING TO VIP - click here

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

                  I still think the tax should be added to fuel duty. It gives the govt everything they want - gas guzzlers pay more, economical cars less, motorists who do small miles less, AND there is no way to avoid paying as no fuel = no journey.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

                    0.5 pence per litre tops should do it, problem is the greedy gits in HM Treasury would increase the VED component with an above inflation escalator, just because they can...

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

                      Originally posted by Wombats View Post
                      I still think the tax should be added to fuel duty. It gives the govt everything they want - gas guzzlers pay more, economical cars less, motorists who do small miles less, AND there is no way to avoid paying as no fuel = no journey.
                      Disagree!!!
                      There are social consequences.
                      The poor, who run older less efficient cars , would again be more heavily penalised than the wealthy with their new super efficient vehicles.
                      Those who depend on their vehicles because public transport is poor or non existent would be unfairly penalised as they cannot avoid using their vehicles.
                      Here I'm thinking more of country dwellers whose annual mileage is of necessity higher than town dwellers.

                      And finally I'm thinking of ME..... my vehicles are both classed "historic" so no VED chargeable!! I certainly don't want more fuel duty in exchange for no VED

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

                        One of the core reasons is to reduce operating costs to the DVLA/Treasury. An added bonus is that it makes it harder for unlicensed, uninsured drivers to use a vehicle on the road without detection, my own opinion is that it is a good move and brings the system up to speed with todays consumer purchase habits. I know many will disagree for varying reasons, which is why I authored the piece, to get a healthy discussion months before the changes came into operation. ALL views are welcomed, whether I agree with them or not.
                        Any opinions I give are my own. Any advice I give is without liability. If you are unsure, please seek qualified legal advice.

                        IF WE HAVE HELPED YOU PLEASE CONSIDER UPGRADING TO VIP - click here

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

                          Originally posted by des8 View Post
                          Disagree!!!
                          There are social consequences.
                          The poor, who run older less efficient cars , would again be more heavily penalised than the wealthy with their new super efficient vehicles.
                          Those who depend on their vehicles because public transport is poor or non existent would be unfairly penalised as they cannot avoid using their vehicles.
                          Here I'm thinking more of country dwellers whose annual mileage is of necessity higher than town dwellers.

                          And finally I'm thinking of ME..... my vehicles are both classed "historic" so no VED chargeable!! I certainly don't want more fuel duty in exchange for no VED
                          I imagine there is also a significant number of vehicles in the disabled tax bracket so adding it to the cost of fuel would probably cause a disability discrimination uproar.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

                            Originally posted by des8 View Post
                            Disagree!!!
                            There are social consequences.
                            The poor, who run older less efficient cars , would again be more heavily penalised than the wealthy with their new super efficient vehicles.
                            Those who depend on their vehicles because public transport is poor or non existent would be unfairly penalised as they cannot avoid using their vehicles.
                            Here I'm thinking more of country dwellers whose annual mileage is of necessity higher than town dwellers.

                            And finally I'm thinking of ME..... my vehicles are both classed "historic" so no VED chargeable!! I certainly don't want more fuel duty in exchange for no VED
                            Originally posted by panther12 View Post
                            I imagine there is also a significant number of vehicles in the disabled tax bracket so adding it to the cost of fuel would probably cause a disability discrimination uproar.
                            Very fair points, I have to say. I find it almost unforgivable now that I sold my 1958 Morris Minor for £40 to 'upgrade' to an Austin Allegro :embarassed: The disabled persons argument is one which, to my shame, had never occurred to me. I still struggle to see the 'historic' threshold as set at the right year, and if one accepts it is, I fail to see why it should not roll forward by one year for each year that passes - it would not be a major administrative headache.

                            I'm reluctant to say this about any government nowadays, but I agree with Tools that this is a good idea, one of its marvels being its very simplicity. I for one will very much welcome the move to be able to pay monthly for my VED and I have no particular gripe with surrendering part of a month's tax. By quibbling about that, we're usually talking about sums less than one might reasonably negotiate when purchasing a vehicle anyway.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: The End Of The Road For The Paper Tax Disc

                              The move to paying for a VED by monthly Direct Debit is a good idea. Abolishing VED and increasing fuel duty is also a good idea and is the case, I believe, in a number of Mainland European countries. However, the motor insurance industry must not be allowed to have any further involvement in the operation of the Motor Insurer's Database (MID) whatsoever. This must be handed over to the public sector. Call me cynical, but my gut-feeling is that we are being lied to by the motor insurance industry as to the actual number of uninsured vehicles on the road. Not only this, there are too many instances of motorists having their vehicles unlawfully seized and destroyed due to bungling by motor insurers. The SERCO/G4S fiasco with offender tagging should tell the politicians the private sector cannot and should not be trusted with running public services or allowed to run a database which even the police have realised and admit is nowhere near accurate or up-to-date.
                              Life is a journey on which we all travel, sometimes together, but never alone.

                              Comment

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