Confusion reigns after rise in number of untaxed vehicles impoundedIt would appear British motorists are still struggling to come to terms with changes to car tax regulations, over 12 months since they were first introduced. After the alterations to tax regulations, motorists no longer need to display a tax disc in the windscreen. However, it seems people aren't keeping up with when their tax is expiring. This places risk on the vehicle being towed away and the owner hit with a severe penalty fine. It would appear the new electronic system hasn't been wholly accepted as of yet. No Date Posted
Impounded vehicles rises to 8,000 a month In fact, under the new tax regulations, where you can pay online and no longer need documentation, the number of vehicles impounded has risen from 5,500 to 8,000 a month. This sharp increase has been attributed to the new rules, which scrapped tax discs after some 93 years of use. Now, motorists can check the status of their tax online at the DVLA website and people are being urged to do this as a matter of urgency.
Along with the electronic tax changes also came a new regulation that tax wasn't transferrable after the sale of a vehicle. Instead, the previous owner must claim back tax for the rest of the year and the new owner arrange their own. An AA spokesman said: "The disc was an obvious reminder. It has now gone and we think people might be forgetting. Some motoring organisations though have called the new system botched and believe the public need to be better informed. This is despite the DVLA claiming letters are distributed to all new vehicle owners, informing them of their duties. A student from Portsmouth University, Dylan Casella, suffered the fate of his vehicle being towed away and facing a £242 fine. He said to the BBC: Once I received the car I didn't receive anything from the DVLA to say 'your car is not taxed and you need to renew it'. So as far as I was concerned I thought the tax had carried on and that was that. "I had actually gone on holiday to Budapest and returned to find my car had disappeared off the road. I headed home and checked in the post and found a letter from the DVLA to say my car had been towed, and taken up to Reading. And they said I had to come and collect it and pay £242.
34 million motorists arranging tax by phone or online However, there are some benefits to the new tax regulations, such as the ease of getting this necessity paid for just one. According to the DVLA, 34 million drivers have taken the option to tax their vehicle by phone or online.
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