Skip to main content

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

  • Priority for safety and interoperability, need for DSRC
    July 18, 2012
    Justin McNew, Chief Technology Officer, Kapsch TrafficCom Inc., USA offers his opinion of where 5.9GHz DSRC technology will head in the coming years. The debate ranges back and forth over the most suitable technological solution for future tolling and charging in the US. However, the coming trend is common cooperative infrastructure: instrumented roads and vehicles with the capacity to communicate with each other over all manner of safety, mobility and traveller applications, many of which will involve fina
  • ITS America: 'Transport needs more women'
    September 20, 2021
    ITS America CEO outlines MobilityXX initiative and calls for increased female representation
  • Taking the long term view to toll safety, adopting new technology
    July 17, 2012
    OmniAir's Tim McGuckin takes a look at what happens when a tolling authority makes safety its principal operating criterion. The bottom - line effects, he says, are not as onerous as one might think. Replacing an existing 915MHz-based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system with a new 915MHz system for toll collection is - from a technology standpoint - comparable to trading in your 1999 high-mileage Buick for another 1999 Buick with '0' on the odometer.
  • Plastic is fantastic for payment platform interoperability
    April 2, 2014
    The Sino Visitor Pass aims to promote trade between Singapore and China by making travel easier, as Jon Masters finds out. Singapore has notched up another first in transportation innovation with announcement of a dual-currency payment card in partnership with the province of Guangdong in China. From the middle of 2014, visitors to Singapore and Guangdong will be able to use a ‘Sino Visitor Pass’ to pay for use of public transportation among other things.