Don’t have a ‘taxing’ time over vehicle tax changes, says the IAM

From 1 October 2014, UK motorists will no longer need to display the paper road tax disc on a vehicle windscreen. The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has taken the opportunity to clarify the rules; drivers now have to pay for their vehicle tax by continuous direct debit, meaning there will never be a risk of forgetting to pay, and driving an untaxed car. One major change the new road tax rules has created is that vehicle tax can no longer be transferred with the vehicle when it is sold - often an
August 28, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

From 1 October 2014, UK motorists will no longer need to display the paper road tax disc on a vehicle windscreen.  The 6187 Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has taken the opportunity to clarify the rules; drivers now have to pay for their vehicle tax by continuous direct debit, meaning there will never be a risk of forgetting to pay, and driving an untaxed car.

One major change the new road tax rules has created is that vehicle tax can no longer be transferred with the vehicle when it is sold - often an added incentive when purchasing a vehicle. If after 1 October you sell a vehicle and have notified the DLVA, you will automatically receive a refund for any full months remaining on that vehicle tax.

Drivers will now always have to buy new vehicle tax when you purchase a new or used vehicle.

Simon Best, IAM chief executive, said: “As with all new systems, it will take a little time to get used to. But the move to allow people to set up a direct debit will mean greater peace of mind for many, so your vehicle will never be untaxed.

“However, moving more of these processes online will make things very difficult for those without regular internet access – as ever, the poor and elderly could lose out.

“And it will be interesting to see if some people think that without a visible tax disc it will be easier simply not to buy one. We’ll see in time how effective this has been in catching those who avoid paying.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • MobilityXX: ‘Women pay more for safe transport’
    October 8, 2021
    Laura Chace, new boss of ITS America, is fully behind the MobilityXX initiative, which promotes the role of women in transportation. She tells Adam Hill why the ’10 by 10’ target is so important…
    Read More
  • Nearly half of vehicles produced annually by 2017 will have fleet management systems
    March 22, 2012
    Vehicle OEMs have traditionally focused on their core competency of vehicle usage and vehicle analysis, rather than transport operation. This has placed them at a disadvantage to independent aftermarket telematics vendors, whose core competence is in transport operation. OEMs have typically limited client contact after selling the vehicle. But this is expected to change once OEMs gradually start offering fleet management systems (FMS) as a standard in their models.
    Read More
  • US state of the art workzone safety
    January 25, 2012
    The Texas Transportation Institute's Jerry Ullman talks about the state of the art in work zone safety in the US. Work zones are places where, perhaps more than anywhere else on the road network, mobility and safety are strongly linked. Historically, field crews and contractors wanted vehicles in work zones to be moving as slowly as possible, assuming that made conditions the safest for work crews. We are though starting to see a shift in such thinking with the realisation that excessive delays or slow-down
    Read More
  • US DOTs introduce measures to stop wrong-way driving
    March 28, 2018
    Wrong-way driving (WWD) is a remarkably innocuous term for incidents that all too often cause some of the worst accidents that emergency services have to deal with. Several US states are now taking steps to minimise the problem, as Alan Dron finds out. You’re driving down a highway at night when you see approaching headlights. You initially assume they are merely those of an oncoming car on the opposite carriageway. It’s only when they are within 200 yards or so that you realise that the other driver is in
    Read More

Highlighted Content