Non-legit tax discs - detectable?

Yes, although, for some reason it is called a "Licence" not an "Excise Duty". At least the revenue from it is 100% hypothecated :-)

Matt B

You get the idea from the police TV shows that they have too many of these to deal with. They'd do nothing else if they responded every time their little box of tricks beeped.

Seeing as its for people who haven't had discs since december, is that good or bad? What proportion of those are forgetful or have just moved etc.?

Its very easy to forget an MOT, the VED stuff gives plenty of warning.

It isn't only cars. Other road vehicles pay it too. However, the clue is in the original name - Road Fund Licence. It was introduced to fund the road network that the vehicles use. As the 2001-2002 expenditure on roads in the UK was £4,801 million and the income from the VED was £4,884 million, it still seems to be doing just that, allowing for the small (1.73% in this case) discrepancies that are inevitable at that level of budget.

Colin Bignell

The tv program on number plate recognition cars said that the police usually didn't get more than a quarter of a mile without the ANPR system detecting something worthy of a stop ! How could these hooky discs possibly be computer linked to your vehicle registration? Just drive without tax, when you are stopped the fine is laughable (if they bother to prosecute)

mrcheerful

Funny, if he was *really* doing something like this, would he be boasting about it like that?

And the money from the fuel tax goes where, exactly?

There's an M reg Vauxall Astra in the car park near my local shops with a tax disc dated 11/03. It always seems to be in the same parking space, so I'm not sure whether it's being driven on public roads. Should I report this and if so, to whom?

Terry D.

Is it in a public parking space at the side of the road, or in a private car park? If it's a private car park, then the only people who really need worry about it would be the owners of the car park. I suppose they could get the council to tow it away if they didn't want it there (say it's been illegally dumped on the property - dunno exactly how it works though). In that case, it's probably none of your business really. If it's just at the side of the road, then yes you could get it removed - best phone the council or the police really - they'll come along, stick a 'Police Aware' notice on it, it'll probably get ripped off or something - they'll come back, put another one on it, then they'll wait until the windows are smashed and it's set on fire before the council gets someone to tow it away ;)

Chris.

Afghanistan, Iraq & North Korea (Oh hang on we haven't bombed North Korea yet it's pencilled in for just before the USA elections so keep it quiet)

send the details to: snipped-for-privacy@gtnet.gov.uk

they will send an inspector, so tell them the vehicle type, colour and reg. when it can be seen and where, any details of the tax disk and where you suspect the owner is living (if known)

mrcheerful

I'd have thought the rubber stamp part might be hard to forge as well - to a trained eye.

They might well do if everyone did it - keeping old wrecks there because they didn't want to pay to have them disposed of, or were keeping them for spare parts.

Its somewhat irrelevant these days anyway. Now that the post office has computerised and details go to the DVLA almost instantly when you renew your tax disc, fines are being sent out automatically from the DVLA computer.

If you have a stolen disc your car will be flagged as untaxed on the computer hence you get a fine.

On top of that the ANPR systems the police are using all over the place will have you pulled for it pretty quickly.

As it goes into the general Exchequer, I can't say where, exactly. However, unlike the VED, it never was related to expenditure on roads, or any form of transport. Like similar duties on alcohol and tobacco, it has always been a simple excise duty, intended to raise money to run the country.

Colin Bignell

It pays for your local Hospital.

And your local Police Station. And it's officers. And your local School. And it's teachers. And...

Need I go on ?

Assuming they abolished the fuel tax to please you - where do you propose they raise the necessary squillion pounds from instead ?

Incorrect attribution it was written by "nightjar .uk.com" I believe.

Spread the load amongst non-motorists too through income tax or VAT?

Matt B

I thought the last lot got paid from local council tax? Like fire and ambulance? If not, why has the police portion of my council tax just gone up by a whopping 13%? Are they suddenly paying Specials for s***ty work on a Saturday night? I think not.

"...and in my day you used to see a bobby on every street corner" ;-)

Is it fair to tax people for schools and police officers according to how many miles a year they drive? Just because one person spends more money on petrol in a year than another doesn't mean they are capable of paying a similar proportion more tax - tax which is not spent on the UK roads or road system.

Al

In short, no. But one of the purposes of the tax system is to act as a system of incentives and disincentives to produce socially desirable outcomes.

Tobacco is taxed because it is harmful and creates costs on the public health system. Petrol is taxed to encourage people to drive fuel-efficient cars, which is better for the environment and everyone's health.

I don't have a problem with this as long as an affordable and reliable public transport system exists alongside the road system so that people can exercise realistic choices. This is certainly not the case at the moment.