"More than a million drivers a year are exploiting a loophole in the enforcement of vehicle licensing law that allows them to pay less road tax, The Times has learnt. The DVLA has been aware of the loophole for at least four years but has failed to close it, costing the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds in lost revenue. This comes on top of estimates that up to four out of ten motorcyclists are evading road tax.
Since 2004 the DVLA has issued automatic £80 fines to drivers who do not renew their tax discs. But it does not identify evaders until the end of the second month after a disc expires. If drivers skip a month’s tax and renew their disc at the beginning of the second month, they will not be sent a fine. They can repeat the evasion every six months.
There is little risk of being caught displaying an out-of-date disc because police unofficially give at least 14 days’ grace to those displaying expired discs. There has also been a sharp fall in the number of traffic police, meaning that drivers are unlikely to be stopped later in the month."
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Dunno why we pay Road Tax, if it was just put on Fuel Duty instead no-one could avoid it could they, but no that is far too a sensible thing to do, lets tax the fuel & have tax discs as well & create more of a chance to make criminals out of plain absent minded or stupid people.
Spot on my friend
The former are what they call Genuine Criminals my learned colleague, and the proverbial book can be thrown at them. As for the Farmers stuff surely it is bought from somewhere could in not be taxed at source or are you talking about that rapeseed stuff that they grow for themselves ?
It is also fairer that all road users contribute SOMETHING and those that use the roads a lot quite properly contribute more via the duty on fuel.
In my opinion this is an enforcement problem not a system problem.
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As are people who don't pay their road tax.
If they did, Swansea would close down overnight.
Did you know that if VOSA stop a private car (they have that right) if you don't have any water in your windscreen washers they can issue a prohibition notice so that you can no longer continue on your journey until you rectify the fault. They won't help you do it. They prefer to do it to Lorries however.
So they can all laugh at the poor sod who has to urinate in the resevoir