No more tax discs

Cobra said:
Have they changed that now too?
I'm sure that it say's (Said anyway) on the DVLA site, that you had 7 days to display the disc.
(to allow for royal mail to deliver)

As the idea is to have everything recorded electronically, surely it defeats the object?
But of course the little sceptical man in side me say's that it only works one way ;)
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All I casn say is that last year, I was late in renewing my tax disc and was spotted by a copper who told me to drive the vehicle back home immediately and if one of his collegues saw my car on the road without a valid tax disc, they might not be so lenient. Asd I only have a mobile phone which is carp regarding reception a friend phoned the DVLA on my behalf regarding buying a disc over the phone and that was what she was told that I would not be covered uintil the disc was on display in my car , so I went home, took the necessary paperwork to the Post office & came out with a valid disc

As regards the £80 (reduced to £40 if you pay promptly, fine for failure to tax or declare SORN is automatically issued by the DVLA and seperate from any police action and as for parking untaxed/declared SORN vehicles on the public highway, even in a cul de sac residents will probably soon be complaining. The public are encouraged to report untaxed vehicles
 
kennethwfd said:
so I went home, took the necessary paperwork to the Post office & came out with a valid disc
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Ah, my point was that if you had bought it on line, you had seven days to display it.
NOT the fact that you had 7 days to buy one ;)
(although this used to be the case many years ago)
 
I can't understand that if you buy online and they don't deliver then you get fined for their error.
 
kennethwfd said:
The DVLA advised me that if you buy online, you are not covered until the disc is displayed on the vehicle. For instatnt cover buy at the Post Office
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I meant under the new system where tax discs will no longer exist. Just pay over the phone and you will have instant tax.
 
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Just bought my last road tax disc the other day, it goes on the car on the 31 August only for one month.
 
Just purchased a new Fiesta and its road tax free. £200 a year better off.
 
The other thing is that we now no longer need tax disc holders. I've got about 15 in the glovebox of my van because I sometimes replace them as part of my valeting service. Bin fodder now. But what about supliers and car sales that buy them in bulk. :eek:
 
boliston said:
not seen a traditional handwritten disc for a while!
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I always double check when it's hand written, had a couple were the cashier has written a wrong digit. A real pain to get them to change it !!

Don't suppose I should really complain, as it only costs me £20 for a full year. But there again, I could always buy a tax exempt classic car...
 
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mickledore said:
Being a belt and braces man I have asked Honest John from Saturday's Telegraph, and this is his reply.....

You will get the usual reminder, though it would, of course, be prudent to write it in your diary. I've just run a news item about the change and can't find anywhere how a buyer of a car who has sent the V5C to the DVLA can tax it online without the V5C. Only the person whose name is on the V5C is allowed to tax it.

Honest John
ASK Honest John advisor
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From DVLA website.

Buying a vehicle
From 1 October, when you buy a vehicle, the vehicle tax will no longer be transferred with the vehicle. You will need to get new vehicle tax before you can use the vehicle.
You can tax the vehicle using the New Keeper Supplement (V5C/2) part of the vehicle registration certificate (V5C) online or by using our automated phone service - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Alternatively, you may wish to visit a Post Office® branch.
 
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I seem to have collected a load of old road tax discs, got loads from my old cars and bikes. The oldest one 1978 £5.00 for a full twelve months bike tax.
 
jonbeeza said:
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I seem to have collected a load of old road tax discs, got loads from my old cars and bikes. The oldest one 1978 £5.00 for a full twelve months bike tax.
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Mine don't go back quite so far but I'm glad it's not just me!!
 
viv1969 said:
Mine don't go back quite so far but I'm glad it's not just me!!
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I don't collect them as such just as I put the new tax on, I seem to throw the old one to the back of the cupboard. When I clear out my cupboard, when I see the date on the old road taxes, just can't seem to throw them out :)
 
From 1 October, when you buy a vehicle, the vehicle tax will no longer be transferred with the vehicle. You will need to get new vehicle tax before you can use the vehicle.

And who is going to know if you do not get new vehicle tax and just drive without any tax? If you pass a number plate recognition camera you may be caught but huge areas of the country have no recognition cameras.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
From 1 October, when you buy a vehicle, the vehicle tax will no longer be transferred with the vehicle. You will need to get new vehicle tax before you can use the vehicle.

And who is going to know if you do not get new vehicle tax and just drive without any tax? If you pass a number plate recognition camera you may be caught but huge areas of the country have no recognition cameras.

Dave
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Apparently the database will be cycle searched regularly, in tandem with the MOT and Insurance databases.
If it's flagged that theres a car with insurance or MOT but no record of tax, an automated £80.00 fixed penalty will be issued to the registered keeper.
 
That may work, Ruth but I think there is a good chance someone who doesn't tax their car isn't likely to MOT or insure their car either, so the car doesn't exist on the database.

At present the lack of vehicle tax is obvious but that will disappear under the new scheme.

Have to say the idea of having little paper discs does seem archaic but I'm not sure this system makes spotting the untaxed driver easier.

Dave
 
viv1969 said:
Apparently the database will be cycle searched regularly, in tandem with the MOT and Insurance databases.
If it's flagged that theres a car with insurance or MOT but no record of tax, an automated £80.00 fixed penalty will be issued to the registered keeper.
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Tringa said:
That may work, Ruth but I think there is a good chance someone who doesn't tax their car isn't likely to MOT or insure their car either, so the car doesn't exist on the database.

At present the lack of vehicle tax is obvious but that will disappear under the new scheme.

Have to say the idea of having little paper discs does seem archaic but I'm not sure this system makes spotting the untaxed driver easier.

Dave
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It's more likely to be searched against registered vehicles not just against cars with MOT/Insurance. When a car is taken off the road (SORN/scrapped/exported) the DVLA must be informed, therefore the DVLA has a record (or in theory anyway) of every vehicle on the road to check against.
 
DVLA keep records of all vehicles, and that dumps to the Police National Computer daily.
A check on PNC shows if the vehicle is registered to a person, if it's taxed, MOT'd and insured. Obviously the insurance bit isn't 100% reliable, so if you are driving on a 'fleet' policy for example it may not show up on PNC/DVLA as insured, so you may get stopped. But thats no different now to several years ago.
ANPR works off the DVLA/PNC system, and will identify those vehicles being used without tax, and although the countryside isn't littered with cameras, many police vehicles are fitted with them.
The difficulty I see with this, and to be fair, any system is if a car is being driven without documents, which happens a lot, and the car isn't registered in anyone's name, unless its stopped by police then there not much going to happen. But that's no different from the current position either.
Yes, a tax disc can give the police a clue, but if the cars moving its actually very difficult to tell the month it expires, so unless stopped for an anpr warning, or another offence then again not much changes with these rules.
The only thing that does change is when a cars parked in the street, its obvious at the moment there's no tax. In future some form of check will need to be done to show that up.
The thing the new system does do is remove the uncertainty. For example, some mentioned you used to have '7 days grace', no you didn't. No tax = offence and always has. All this tax in post, tax applied for nonsense was just that.
 
Bernie174 said:
No tax = offence and always has. All this tax in post, tax applied for nonsense was just that.
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You are wrong on that point, if the tax was bought from the DVLA website up to 23:59 on the last day of the month there is a 14 day grace period for displaying the disc, to cover the processing time by DVLA and time it is in the post.

Since 17 July 2013, when you renew your vehicle tax or when your new car is taxed for the first time, you now have up to 14 days to display the new tax disc on the vehicle.
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https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-when-renewing-your-tax-disc
 
You are wrong on that point, if the tax was bought from the DVLA website up to 23:59 on the last day of the month there is a 14 day grace period for displaying the disc, to cover the processing time by DVLA and time it is in the post.
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No, I am not wrong. What I said was No tax = offence.
The link you provided applies to a renewal (or first tax), it does not apply to someone who has not taxed their car until after the previous tax expired, and never has. It stands to reason that if you applied for tax before your previous disc expired, then you have tax, and cannot commit "No Tax" as an offence.
You can however commit no displaying a valid VEL, and an FPN issued. Again, obviously a vehicle owner/driver can plead not guilty if they wish and use the link you provided as a defence.
However, the assumption that "Tax in Post" or "Tax Applied for" means that's alright. It doesn't and never has.You do not have, 7, 5 or 14 days grace in getting your tax.
 
Bernie174 said:
No, I am not wrong. What I said was No tax = offence.
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No, that's not you said, and if you had just said no tax = offence, and stopped there you would have been right.

Let me remind you what you said
Bernie174 said:
No tax = offence and always has. All this tax in post, tax applied for nonsense was just that.
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There is no offence if the tax is purchased and in the post from DVLA, there is no offence if the tax is applied for and not displayed (in the 14 day grace period), the only nonsense in that sentence is actually what you said...

Bernie174 said:
However, the assumption that "Tax in Post" or "Tax Applied for" means that's alright. It doesn't and never has.You do not have, 7, 5 or 14 days grace in getting your tax.
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Why not read the .gov link and see what is currently allowed, what was the law in your day isn't necessarily the law anymore, I'm sure you should be aware that things change over the decades ;).
 
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Fully what I said was:
The thing the new system does do is remove the uncertainty. For example, some mentioned you used to have '7 days grace', no you didn't. No tax = offence and always has. All this tax in post, tax applied for nonsense was just that.
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If you have applied for tax online then you have tax. Not displaying it is a separate offence, for which a Non enforceable FPN can be issued. It's for you, if you are not displaying the tax disc to prove that you fall into the exemption. Like all defences, its for the defendant to make out in court.

What I said was in response to Cobra, who said

Ah, my point was that if you had bought it on line, you had seven days to display it.
NOT the fact that you had 7 days to buy one
(although this used to be the case many years ago)
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You do not, and never have had 7 days to buy tax after it expires, hence the new system removes the uncertainty.
It was, and possibly is a common misconception, and hence the notes in tax disc holders. In the 'old days' we had no way of checking, so it was a CLE 2/6 to DVLA. Now it can be checked instantly, or as near to instantly as makes no difference.
I'm sorry if that wasn't clear, but I hope it is now.
 
If every other business in the country offers a discount for paying by direct debit why does the DVLA charge extra
 
Because they would lose out on the fines for late payment... [/cynic]
 
fabs said:
So, tax disc destruction day tomorrow. :D

Thought it quite funny, the missus got her renewal letter from the RAC today. It included a new tax disc holder. :thinking:
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PMSL.
Yep I renewed mine ready for the 1st of Oct.
I was thinking of trying out the DD "offer"

Seems that doesn't start till Nov :rolleyes:
 
Cobra said:
PMSL.
Yep I renewed mine ready for the 1st of Oct.
I was thinking of trying out the DD "offer"

Seems that doesn't start till Nov :rolleyes:
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Do you know if there's an additional cost for the DD? Couldn't find anything on the .gov site and Sue's tax disc expires at the end of November.
 
fabs said:
Do you know if there's an additional cost for the DD? Couldn't find anything on the .gov site and Sue's tax disc expires at the end of November.
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Its cheaper that paying for it 2x 6 monthly though.
What is it with powerful cars and stupid tax prices? :(
 
fabs said:
Shouldn't be in such a hurry then. :p
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Not always, I'm just a poser :D


fabs said:
I meant the 12 monthly payments bttw
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I realised that, what I meant was that the excess on the DD,
is cheaper than the excess payment for 2x 6month
Off the top of my head isn't it about 5% as opposed to 10%?

Here you go
From 1 October 2014 (5 October if setting up at a Post Office®),
Direct Debit will be offered as an additional way to pay for vehicle tax.
This will be available for customers who need to tax their vehicle from 1 November 2014:
Gits :(

I can't find the (increased cost) prices now, but they were there, when I applied for mine.
 
Oooo can I put the Smart on direct debit? It would save me logging in once a year to pay the £0.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Oooo can I put the Smart on direct debit? It would save me logging in once a year to pay the £0.
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Sounds like a plan to me :thumbs:

However as above, you'll have to wait for the next renewal November onwards :D
 
ST4 said:
Sounds good, I've always thought the crippling VAT paid on these fine cars should mean they get special lanes to expidite their process, special Mercedes only lanes and special Mercedes driver speed limits. That would work :D

Or a tax disc, you get to opt for certain membership rights, £0/yr standard speed limits £100/yr 10mph faster on NSL routes, £200yr 20mph faster on NSL routes, £1000/yr unlimited speed on NSL routes. If only...
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....Can we expand those special lanes for German and Italian cars, or perhaps all roadworthy cars which can do 0-60 mph in under 6 seconds.

I have always thought that those cars which are designed and built for it should be subject to different and higher speed limits.
 
My tax renewal said I needed to take the MOT with me, long search to find and ...........................................it wasn't needed :banghead:
 
Before you all start removing your tax disk holders, I have 2 in my car - currently use the 2nd one to slip parking tickets in to stop them sliding down the heater vents or off the dash. Will be removing the second one later.
 
Nod said:
Before you all start removing your tax disk holders, I have 2 in my car - currently use the 2nd one to slip parking tickets in to stop them sliding down the heater vents or off the dash. Will be removing the second one later.
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How interesting. :sleep:

:p
 
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