Reply to: DVLA Road Tax

[SueEllen]

Managed to get this yesterday. wheee. The post office accepted my V5 and the rest. I am now legal.

Could someone tell me why obtaining road tax - the american equivalent of registration renewal - costs four times more than in america? All that it appears to fund is road markings which you can't see in rain and the random creation of mini-roundabouts.

Petrol costs a load more than in America. Remember this is rip off Britain.

[lilelvis2000]

Managed to get this yesterday. wheee. The post office accepted my V5 and the rest. I am now legal.

Could someone tell me why obtaining road tax - the american equivalent of registration renewal - costs four times more than in america? All that it appears to fund is road markings which you can't see in rain and the random creation of mini-roundabouts.

[Clippy]

I'm not sure I understand the relationship between the sub post office and the central PO. My understanding is these sub post offices are franchises and are independant business people. They are not subsidised in anyway?

Sub PO's are not franchises but run along the same principles as the main PO's.

All Sub-postmasters are given a salary based on the products and svcs they offer.

Years ago, selling road tax used to be a nice little earner for a Sub PO but now, this restricted to only a few PO's in any geographical area.

[SueEllen]

I'm not sure I understand the relationship between the sub post office and the central PO. My understanding is these sub post offices are franchises and are independant business people. They are not subsidised in anyway?

Sub post offices are subsidised.

The Post Office has 14,300 branches but only run 550 themselves.

http://www.nfsp.org.uk/About_Sub_Post_Offices.asp

"Generally, subpostmasters receive a fixed payment from Post Office Ltd, this is topped up by a variable payment based on the number of transactions they carry out."

[lilelvis2000]

I'm not sure I understand the relationship between the sub post office and the central PO. My understanding is these sub post offices are franchises and are independant business people. They are not subsidised in anyway?

Government in its current form is crap ain't it? I watched something last night on motorways. Apparently the public inquiries they have are just show. The decision has already been made. Pretty well sums up the democracy we have.

Anyone for musharraf instead?

[SueEllen]

Last time I went to a small local PO to buy car tax (in a suburb of Bristol), I was told "we don't do car tax, you'll have to go to the PO in the city centre".

Unfortunately loads of little post offices don't sell car tax anymore. In fact if you go to into many sub post offices there is normally a sign listing all the stuff they don't do.

It's all part of the government plan to close down as many post offices as possible.

[Dark Black]

I only use the online facility to declare SORN - if I need a tax disc then I go to our local PO in the village. I've heard of people who have bought their discs online and they've got lost in the post or wherever, then you end up being stuck without a tax disc...

[VectraMan]

Last time I went to a small local PO to buy car tax (in a suburb of Bristol), I was told "we don't do car tax, you'll have to go to the PO in the city centre".

[lilelvis2000]

How very cynical. As a resource the PO is great. I compare it to Canada and its simply outstanding. The simple fact that post can be delivered the next day is brilliant! In Canada it can be as much as one week! As well I use it to pay my bills, road tax, passports, currency. I think brits should be proud of it.

Yes my village PO was closed nearly three years ago and I do miss it. I went regularily there. As you say the govt. has forced everyone to get a bank account. The PO did try a PO account but I think the uptake was minimal.

Anyway, I've been driving the car without road tax this morning. Luckily the car sits off the road at home and at the station. cross fingers.

[Dow Jones]

Why?

Most (and I am talking about young, able-bodied) people can't be bothered to go to their local pub (see one of my earlier threads: w/e), let alone their P/O, yet they are the first ones to complain about if it closes down. This Gov't follow a previous plan used to close down little-used train stations in the past (the plan was to put together a timetable with services outside demand times, then turn round and say: 'nobody uses the station, it needs to be shut down-no longer profitable'.) Same with the P/O, first they took away the benefits (which are now paid straight to bank accounts - all available on 2 discs), then the TV licence (run by Capita), next the Road Tax. ITers - of all people - should be more careful with their ID details. Don't start complaining if your details are passed on to Nigerian scammers by their counterparts working in DVLA (of which there is a larger no of permanent/contractors).

[BoredBloke]

I tried using it about a year ago and on the renewal notice instead of the ref number I had an advert advertising the electronic renewal thing. So I couldn't use it because of the advert telling me to use it. Joined up thinking at its best.

[lilelvis2000]

Well at least we now know why you are un-able to renew your road tax online.


To renew online, you need the following info:

the 16 digit reference number printed in the yellow box on the front of your V11 reminder (Vehicle Licence Application/Statutory Off Road Notification)

OR

the 11 digit reference number shown on the front of your Registration Certificate (V5C) and your vehicle registration number

and yes, your V5 is now redundant as it should have been replaced by the V5C

Does this mean you have had no road tax on this vehicle for the last few years?

Got road tax last year just fine..but I had the reminder then. No probs with using the V5 last year on the other car either. If it was made redundant I certainly haven't received a replacement. Perhaps it was sent out on a disk?

[Clippy]

Well at least we now know why you are un-able to renew your road tax online.


To renew online, you need the following info:

the 16 digit reference number printed in the yellow box on the front of your V11 reminder (Vehicle Licence Application/Statutory Off Road Notification)

OR

the 11 digit reference number shown on the front of your Registration Certificate (V5C) and your vehicle registration number

and yes, your V5 is now redundant as it should have been replaced by the V5C

Does this mean you have had no road tax on this vehicle for the last few years?

[Sockpuppet]

The ref number is on the renewal notice. Afaik that is not the same as the V5 number.

[lilelvis2000]

The renewal letter was lost when my accountant's home was robbed a couple of weeks ago. It was in the bag of my laptop which I was loaning to him..naturally the theives took it.

I am - quite rightly as you mention - using the V5 logbook number. Don't tell me that's outta date and can't be used anymore...I'll really be stuck.