What a Hassle

[vindiboy]

I SORNed my car in Sept.last as we were going away in the van for six months at the time I lost a months refund on the tax as we were already in to Sept.and you only get refunds for complete Months. On return home this month I had to get an MOT on the car because it ran out whilst we were away, the cars insurance had also lapsed,so I could not drive it to the Garage for MOT and had them collect it for me,[more cost] a complete exhaust system was required for the MOT pass, not cheap, Next the Insurance Premium had gone up because the Policy had lapsed and a new contract was required so more expense, I have only taxed the car for six months as it will be off the road again in a few weeks when we go to Norway so that cost extra of course, I will loose out again on the tax refund when I SORN the car next month as it again will be mid month and again no refund for part months surrendered. I have now been informed that if you have a vehicle you are not using and it is not SORNed you have to keep it insured even if you have no intention of using it on the road.So from sitting on a Portugese beach sipping wine and relaxing I have been running around like a headless chicken sorting things out, and I know where I would prefer to be.

 

[kenjones]

Like all of us the weather has limited my van use over the last three months.
I keep it taxed and insured in case it's fit to go out but i'm a bit p****d off at the amount I have to pay to keep it on my drive. The sooner we get road fund licence included with fuel the better for me.
I know it won't happen!

 

[Pollik]

Road tax paid through fuel seems to me to be the only sensible way. It catches all those who evade it. It does away with a zillion layers of bureaucracy. It collects a proportion of tax from visitors.

It would be far better, IMHO, to have an insurance and an MOT disc rather than one for the dreaded road tax. So many laws are built round an assumption that people spend all their time at one address...it is crackers.


Polly

 

[Tbear]

MOT sticker has to be the way to go. Then its clear your vehicle has been proved to be roadworthy at some point. Which to me seems more important than you having payed all your taxes.
If the road tax was added to the price of petrol it would hardly make any difference, spread over a year. You would automaticaly pay your fair share. The bigger your vehicle and the more miles you do, the more fuel you use, therefore the more tax you pay.

Richard

 

[Deleted member 775]

when people have a camper and a car instead of having to tax both viehcles , if there is only one driver of both viehcles wouldent it be more sensible to tax the driver instead .ie you get a tax disc in the drivers name then you can drive any viehcle on that tax after all you can only drive one veihcle at a time, if you owned a small car that was in the low tax band and your camper was in the higest band then you would pay the higest band rate and be able to drive both viehcles on that disc. when i used to buy and sell cars years ago i had i and many others who used to do a bit of trading used what was known as a trade tax disc ie if you had a car for sale that was taxed you used to use it in any car you were driving at the time a bit like my traders insurance policy.... a bit naughty i know but a scheme like that nowadays would make sense

 

[Tbear]

when people have a camper and a car instead of having to tax both viehcles , if there is only one driver of both viehcles wouldent it be more sensible to tax the driver instead .ie you get a tax disc in the drivers name then you can drive any viehcle on that tax after all you can only drive one veihcle at a time, if you owned a small car that was in the low tax band and your camper was in the higest band then you would pay the higest band rate and be able to drive both viehcles on that disc. when i used to buy and sell cars years ago i had i and many others who used to do a bit of trading used what was known as a trade tax disc ie if you had a car for sale that was taxed you used to use it in any car you were driving at the time a bit like my traders insurance policy.... a bit naughty i know but a scheme like that nowadays would make sense

Hi Mandrake
But you would be paying too much tax when you drove the small car and would still be paying tax if you drove neither of them

Richard

 

[Deleted member 775]

no not realy you are taxing youself to drive a car you own .as for paying if you dont drive them, who has a car or van they dont drive. i can see the point about a small car they can be in a lower band

 

[Pollik]

who has a car or van they dont drive

I do. Two of them. Neither have been used for the past month, and one will continue not to be used for the next 2 months.

I bought for £300 and spend more on tax and insurance every year than the car is worth.

I would dearly love to pay my 'on the road' expenses as PAYG.

Historically, it has always been like this for me - I also ran a commute motorbike for work and for summer leisure use, while still having a car for the odd holiday, for winter use, for carrying large objects.

 

[Tbear]

no not realy you are taxing youself to drive a car you own .as for paying if you dont drive them, who has a car or van they dont drive. i can see the point about a small car they can be in a lower band

My point is that I look at road tax as a fee for using the road. Therefore the more I use the road the more of a fee (tax) I should pay. The bigger the vehicle I drive and the more I use the road the more fuel I use so to tax the fuel would be the fairest.

Richard

 

[vindiboy]

I bought the Road tax at the Post Office near me Yesterday,Saturday, we went out in the car today and used part of the M27 near us, we drove to the local Range shop and a Grey car screeched to a stop in front of us and out jumped a Policeman and said Hello Hello you have no road tax according to our data base, oh yes I do says I and he then inspected my new tax disc, I also had the new MOT certificate and Insurance Certificate with me as I somehow expected to get a tug.So it shows that the cameras on the Motorway are watching you all the time, no bad thing in my book.Watch out ,watch out unmarked Police cars about!!!

 

[Pollik]

No bad thing if their database is up to date.

What amazes me is that they stopped you, rather than just sending a summon or fixed penalty through the post.


Polly

 

[vindiboy]

Hi Polly, no tax on a vehicle is rather more serious than a fixed penalty these days, apparently, the Police can seize the vehicle and have it crushed in some circumstances.

 

[Kontiki]

I would welcome a change from the current system, I only have the motorhome & 2 motorbikes. I would get a car but the extra expense makes it not worthwhile. although putting the road tax onto something like fuel, which in some ways makes sense as the ones who use the road most would pay the most (also foreign visitors would have to pay) it would end up in the prices of everything being increased as most things are delivered by road & the hauliers won't be paying the extra out of their pockets .
Maybe a scheme where our UK based haulage firm can claim some sort of tax break to offset some increased cost

 

[Deleted member 775]

yes it is a good thing to catch the offenders ,BUTbeware if you hadent had your insurance cet with you they could have taken your motor and even at a later date you proved that you were fully covered you would still have been given a large bill to get your car or van back

 

[Deleted member 775]

No bad thing if their database is up to date.

What amazes me is that they stopped you, rather than just sending a summon or fixed penalty through the post.


Polly

the days of the fixed penalty or producing your docs have gone ,they just take the viehcle nowadays no ifs no buts ,unless you have no mot then its just a slap on the wrist and a 60 quid fine no points on the licence sometimes you are not even taken to court so no fine ,seems a bit daft to me as if you have an accident and no mot you void your insurance

 

[kenjones]

I tried to tax the van on line last month only to have the request rejected due to no insurance.
My policy expires in November 2011.
A phone call to my broker did put things right ( in two days) but it just goes to show.
ANPR is fallable.