Reply to: DVLA lost out on £93million a year after abolition of tax disc amid fears evasion...

[Mordac]

Another problem is that you can only catch honest mistakes - those forgetting to tax a car and finding out at the MOT station or when reinsuring for example.

It'll cost more in police time to recoup that money than it would to have kept printing the tax discs, that's for sure.

Especially when they changed the rules such that when transferring ownership the existing road tax became invalid. Strangely enough they didn't advertise that one as much as they could have...

[minestrone]

A neighbour had their car clamped outside the house a few weeks ago, same time a car a few streets down got the same.

I suspect they are getting lists of cars that expire in an area then driving round the houses.

[VectraMan]

True - but I got caught with an out of date tax disc - they used to be different colours

I did once take the tax disc out of one car and put it into another one, just for a day. It was the right colour.

A car has to be taxed or SORN'd now, so nobody can forget in theory as they should be sending reminder letters - if there's a flaw it's that part. To evade the tax you need to declare it SORN and use the car anyway, and that requires a conscious effort to break the law.

[LondonManc]

Gamification means that you wouldn't need to offer real cash rewards. Just use virtual medals you can share with your friends....

A bit like ASBOs for the good guys?
The "Snitches Get Stitches" awards 2017 should prove popular.

[filthy1980]

Another problem is that you can only catch honest mistakes - those forgetting to tax a car and finding out at the MOT station or when reinsuring for example.

It'll cost more in police time to recoup that money than it would to have kept printing the tax discs, that's for sure.

in this position right now

[original PM]

The tax disc was only visible from the front, and it's hard to believe a police-person could visibly check the disc of an oncoming car. A computer could do it easily though, from the front or the back. Is this not what police cars are fitted with now?

I find it amazing that evaders believed in bobbies on the beat looking out for the right colour tax disc on cars, but don't believe in computers.

True - but I got caught with an out of date tax disc - they used to be different colours

So I am thinking that in the past road cops hanging out would see a car with the wrong tax disc and pull it - because it was all they had

Now when a car goes past they see no tax disc - but maybe they do/ do not always have the ANPR or just ignore it because it has produced false alarms

However the point is the only way they can loose money is if lying scrotes do not tax their car.

[eek]

It would have been a lot cheaper to get free app for mobile phones to allow people find cars with fake/missing tax disks like they do with pokemons now and then collect nice cash reward.

Simples.

Gamification means that you wouldn't need to offer real cash rewards. Just use virtual medals you can share with your friends....

[xoggoth]

Only a matter of time before we all have to be micro-chipped like dogs. Then they scan us and see if we have paid our car tax, TV licence, passport, registered to file tax returns etc. etc.

[VectraMan]

They rely on ANPR for that but as for whether anyone follows it up to actually pull the car in question...

Why would they pull the car in question? It's not worth the time. Just send an automated letter.

[SouthernManc78]

Is this actually because the police used to pull you if you did not have a tax disc...

But now no one has a tax disc and the police cannot be assed to check every vehicle's number plate?

So ultimately they are loosing revenue because lying scrotes are not taxing or insuring their cars..... - where does the problem actually lie?

They rely on ANPR for that but as for whether anyone follows it up to actually pull the car in question...

[LondonManc]

Another problem is that you can only catch honest mistakes - those forgetting to tax a car and finding out at the MOT station or when reinsuring for example.

It'll cost more in police time to recoup that money than it would to have kept printing the tax discs, that's for sure.

[VectraMan]

Is this actually because the police used to pull you if you did not have a tax disc...

But now no one has a tax disc and the police cannot be assed to check every vehicle's number plate?

The tax disc was only visible from the front, and it's hard to believe a police-person could visibly check the disc of an oncoming car. A computer could do it easily though, from the front or the back. Is this not what police cars are fitted with now?

I find it amazing that evaders believed in bobbies on the beat looking out for the right colour tax disc on cars, but don't believe in computers.

[SueEllen]

It would have been a lot cheaper to get free app for mobile phones to allow people find cars with fake/missing tax disks like they do with pokemons now and then collect nice cash reward.

Simples.

Is that your next idea that will get you an OBE (or whatever)?

[original PM]

Is this actually because the police used to pull you if you did not have a tax disc...

But now no one has a tax disc and the police cannot be assed to check every vehicle's number plate?

So ultimately they are loosing revenue because lying scrotes are not taxing or insuring their cars..... - where does the problem actually lie?

[vetran]

What a surprise