RIP - The tax disc

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-changes

Many of you may have seen this in the news recently, what's your opinions?

When purchasing a car you must tax it immediately via the phone/web as it no longer stays with the vehicle when you sell it.

What concerns me is when selling a car mid-month presumably you will loose the rest of that months duty and of course you will have to wait 6 weeks for a refund.

I also read elsewhere that if you take up the new option to pay for your car tax via direct debit there will be a charge. - Funny that if i pay for my utility bills by DD then i get offered a discount!

Then there is the other announcement that the paper counterpart of your driving license is to be phased out in favour of a digital system so that hire car companies etc can check your license for validity, endorsements etc via the web. This concerns me as they make hopeless mistakes with the current system, i lost my motorcycle entitlement when notifying them of a change of address last year! When i contacted them they didn't want to know, if it was not for the fact i had a copy of my previous license for work purposes i would have had to take my test again - as they said the computer doesn't lie, what i am telling them is impossible!!!!

I've heard of similar storys with HGV drivers loosing their entitlement, getting suspended from their job of 20yrs whilst it is sorted out etc!

Have you tried calling the DVLA since the local offices closed? Good luck....

[The Express Valeter]

Government Agency = Havn't got a clue!!

So what happens if you don't have a computer?

Says if you SORN DVLA will automatically stop taking payments via Direct Debit. I would bet very good money on this bit being a total farce & many comments on forums saying "They are still taking my money but my car is on sorn"!!

So if you sell a car mid month the tax disappears (except from the DVLA bank account) but the new keeper has to pay immediately = Back Door Tax there then.

[G51 NAV]

It's common perception that Government Agencies run our public services shambolically, an image cultivated by the likes of the Daily Wail and other media outlets which love to label civil and public servants as Public Enemy Number One (except nurses who always seem exempt from such criticism, and rightly so of course). In actual fact Government Agencies do a far better job of running large-scale public services than the private sector. Just about everything that has ever been privatised has turned into a mess with their fat-cat CEO's filling their pockets at our expense. That said, DVLA always seem to be a law unto their own and never seem to admit liability for mistakes, which leaves me very skeptical of this move.

[The Express Valeter]

It's common perception that Government Agencies run our public services shambolically, an image cultivated by the likes of the Daily Wail and other media outlets which love to label civil and public servants as Public Enemy Number One (except nurses who always seem exempt from such criticism, and rightly so of course). In actual fact Government Agencies do a far better job of running large-scale public services than the private sector. Just about everything that has ever been privatised has turned into a mess with their fat-cat CEO's filling their pockets at our expense. That said, DVLA always seem to be a law unto their own and never seem to admit liability for mistakes, which leaves me very skeptical of this move.

I would have to agree with this....

[G51 NAV]

Naturally the Government rarely does anything to publicly decry or redress the media's hatred for public and civil servants, because it absolutely fits the Government's agenda to off-load more public services to the private sector, if not directly then by 'partnerships' and 'enabling contracts', which I can vouch from very personal experience of working on the inside for 25 years are anything but 'enabling'.

[Andy]

I think its a good idea, I like been able to pay monthly. For people like me that only run some cars over summer and get 6 months tax discs it means if the weathers good I can tax it accordingly for an extra 1-2 months. Plus I heard the extra cost for paying monthly is in between what the percentage difference is now between getting 6-12 months which I think is reasonable.

[Sussex Pete]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-changes
When purchasing a car you must tax it immediately via the phone/web as it no longer stays with the vehicle when you sell it.

What concerns me is when selling a car mid-month presumably you will loose the rest of that months duty and of course you will have to wait 6 weeks for a refund.

This is one of the areas where the DVLA will make more money on VED issue. Where a car is sold mid-month, then the current owner will be able to reclaim the unused tax from the 1st of the following month, BUT the new owner will have to pay the VED from the start of the month in which the purchase is made. So the DVLA will have received income twice for that one month the car is on the road.

Its also interesting that by making the VED non-transferable, it is effectively making the VED a personal tax rather than a vehicle tax. It was always transferred before - unless the buyer/seller agree to no tax on transfer - so why bring about the change - unless it is financially beneficial to the government

[The Express Valeter]

This is one of the areas where the DVLA will make more money on VED issue.

Its also interesting that by making the VED non-transferable, it is effectively making the VED a personal tax rather than a vehicle tax. It was always transferred before - unless the buyer/seller agree to no tax on transfer - so why bring about the change - unless it is financially beneficial to the government

The answer is in the last 8 words of your message!!

[Guest]

Curiouser and curiouser.

[F825 UBD]

I don't see how this will work - if you are expected to tax immediately online, it will check your MOT and insurance - the insurance database takes a few days to catch up, so at the point of sale the system will see an uninsured car and refuse the VED application surely?

[F825 UBD]

Thinking about it more, the online system only works if the V5 is in your name, otherwise you have to go to the post office. How will that be reconciled??

[Sussex Pete]

Thinking about it more, the online system only works if the V5 is in your name, otherwise you have to go to the post office. How will that be reconciled??

This is probably the area the DVLA/Government haven't really thought through. At the moment (and who knows what other changes or knee jerk updates will happen twixt now and October?) the tax disc being returned has to be sent in the post to Swansea. So, for a car being sold, that would mean that it would have to be sent in advance of the sale date if the online system is to recognise that more VED can be purchased for it. If that scenario is correct, then there could be much inconvenience to the seller if he cannot use his car right until the moment it is sold.
Thinking on, while I write this, it will probably just turn out to be a tick box on the online form which confirms that the car is being sold, the old tax disc is being returned and a new tax disk is required. Current insurance and MOT will be recorded already as being in place, so tax can be purchased.

[seacow]

This is probably the area the DVLA/Government haven't really thought through. At the moment (and who knows what other changes or knee jerk updates will happen twixt now and October?) the tax disc being returned has to be sent in the post to Swansea. So, for a car being sold, that would mean that it would have to be sent in advance of the sale date if the online system is to recognise that more VED can be purchased for it. If that scenario is correct, then there could be much inconvenience to the seller if he cannot use his car right until the moment it is sold.
Thinking on, while I write this, it will probably just turn out to be a tick box on the online form which confirms that the car is being sold, the old tax disc is being returned and a new tax disk is required. Current insurance and MOT will be recorded already as being in place, so tax can be purchased.

There won't be any tax discs though so it will all be 'virtual'

[Oli]

Touching on the same subject, announced in George Osbourne's budget yesterday is the reinstatement of the rolling historic vehicle tax class.

Not quite the 25 years it used to be, but perhaps a move in the right direction...

http://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/new...g-at-40-years/

[G51 NAV]

Yep would have been nice to have seen it at 30 years instead of 40 so that at least the oldest MMs would now be eligible. But it's better than nothing. Though I fully expect it to be repealed long before any of my cars reach 40.