Car tax evasion rates have tripled since the paper disc was withdrawn

[jibberjabber]

Road vehicle taxation has been around since … well, road vehicles. The UK’s first road tax schemes for ‘light locomotives’ were introduced in 1896, and then under the Motor Car Act 1903, all road vehicles were taxed at 20 shillings per year.

No doubt that motorists of the day were slightly less aggrieved at paying a fee to actually help build roads and infrastructure, rather than shoring up failing local authorities, or feeding a greedy government.

The full article can be read here.

https://www.petrolprices.com/news/c...e-tripled-since-the-paper-disc-was-withdrawn/

 

[Richard Turner]

Rubbish, they are just catching more people now it is electronic instead of someone having to look in the windscreen to check the tax disc.

 

[jibberjabber]

Rubbish, they are just catching more people now it is electronic instead of someone having to look in the windscreen to check the tax disc.

Just wondering, did you read the full artical?

 

[Rob Cowell]

What I presume is the source of the article, and more breakdown here : https://assets.publishing.service.g...hicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2019.pdf

 

[jibberjabber]

What I presume is the source of the article, and more breakdown here : https://assets.publishing.service.g...hicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2019.pdf

Yes, looks very much like that.

 

[Towpack]

They’re talking about evasion rates not convictions for tax evasion. With the old paper disc they new how many taxable vehicles there were and they still now that now. Convictions may have gone up due to ANPR etc, but I reckon many more now see the lack of a tax identifier on the vehicle as a ‘chance it’ opportunity. JMO

 

[Shayne]

I wonder if anyone thought to deduct vehicles currently on a sorn ?

 

[chadr]

I think it's all a bit of a storm in a teacup - mainly because of 2 points;
1. the numbers are going down - from 1.8% of vehicles in 2017 to 1.6% of vehicles in 2019 (634k against 755k in real terms)
2. 54% of them had been unlicensed for 2 months or less.

Still, a £94 million loss* is a £94M loss - though how much it would cost to recover that is another question.

* the £94M figure is the higher estimate.

It does make a good headline I suppose.

 

[tonytoyota]

Hi the answer is get a old fj45 bj40 tax free.