28 August 2014
4 Mins read

Brits ‘unaware’ the tax disc is about to change

More than half of motorists are unaware that paper tax discs are set to be scrapped from October 1st 2014.

The century-old paper tax disc is soon set to vanish from cars completely to make way for electronic records. The change will happen in less than six week’s time, but over half of British drivers are unaware of its imminent arrival.

From October 1st 2014, motorists will no longer be compelled to display the scrap of paper on their windshield. Instead, once a person pays for their road tax, this information will be stored in the form of an electronic record. Police cameras will then be able to check registration numbers to see who has done this.

Worryingly, the results of a new survey suggests more than half of UK drivers are oblivious to when this impending change is set to start. In addition, the research – carried out by comparison website money.co.uk – revealed that almost a third of motorists won’t bother finiding out what the new rules are.

Indeed, six per cent of respondents believed the electronic discs wouldn’t come into effect until next year, leaving them at risk of being caught unawares. Many of those polled said they would wait for correspondence from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), rather than being proactive.

In the defence of those still in the dark about the imminent reforms, the DVLA has not yet started to send warnings to drivers with road tax renewal reminders, which means those waiting for confirmation could be waiting a while longer.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief of money.co.uk, said the changes are welcome, especially those made to the payment options, as motorists will now be able to pay by direct debit – an amendment that will help some keep up with the rising cost of driving.

She added: “It will also help to eliminate the problem of people who genuinely forget to renew their tax and end up being stung with a hefty fine. However, I suspect the new system may experience some teething problems so drivers really need to make sure they're on top of their game.”

According to the government, the changes are designed to help those who pay and catch those who don’t.

Posted by George Davis