Untaxed cars have tripled since paper discs were scrapped
Some buyers may be ‘forgetting’ to tax second-hand vehicles
The amount of untaxed vehicles on Britain’s roads has tripled since paper tax discs were abolished, The Guardian reports.
Figures from the Department for Transport reveal that 1.8% of car owners “failed to pay or renew vehicle excise duty”, the newspaper says. That equates to around 700,000 vehicles, which are “mostly cars and light goods vehicles.”
It’s a substantial increase on the 0.6% of car owners who failed to pay tax in 2013, the paper adds, which was the penultimate year of the paper disc. This resulted in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) collecting £200m less in tax between 2016-17 compared to 2013-14.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The RAC’s public affairs chief, Nicholas Lyes, says that the principle of abolishing the tax disc was to introduce greater efficiencies has “evidently failed.”
“It appears that having a visual reminder was an effective way to prompt drivers into renewing their car tax – arguably more drivers are now prepared to try their luck and see if they can get away with not paying any vehicle tax at all”, he says, “or are simply forgetting to tax their vehicle when they are due to.”
Lyes also said that a third of untaxed vehicles were the result of a change of ownership, where buyers forgot to tax their new vehicle after purchasing it.
Currently, road tax is not transferred when a car’s ownership changes.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 3, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
The pros and cons of a tourist tax
Pros and Cons Visitor levies can boost tourism but a lack of transparency troubles critics
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why celebrities are calling for a ‘gadget tax’
Why Everyone’s Talking About The scheme could generate £250-£300m for the arts, say backers
By The Week Staff Published
-
Conservative Party Conference: £25bn set aside for major road upgrades
In Depth Funds from taxpayer and borrowing will be used to improve 14 English routes
By The Week Staff Published
-
New cars and motoring laws 2019: Brexit impact, car tax and more
In Depth Recent changes may have a major impact on drivers over the next 12 months
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Budget 2018: Philip Hammond confirms pothole repair fund and fuel tax freeze
Speed Read Chancellor commits almost £30bn to repair and maintain Britain’s ageing roads
By The Week Staff Published
-
How much is your old road tax disc worth?
In Depth Some examples are fetching up to £1,000 online
By The Week Staff Published
-
Car scrappage schemes 2018: which offer the best value?
In Depth Large discounts are on offer if you trade in a pre-2010 diesel car
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Diesel car sales set to plummet further in 2018
Speed Read Confusion over the Government’s ‘anti-diesel rhetoric’ blamed for slump in market
By The Week Staff Published