A PAPER tax disc will no longer need to be displayed on a UK vehicle windscreen from 1 October 2014.
Car tax changes – the key points:
- You will still need to pay tax for any vehicle used on the roads
- A reminder will still be issued by the DVLA when vehicle tax is due to expire
- Buyers of used cars will no longer be able to have any tax left transferred and will instead have to buy tax before driving it on UK roads
- A direct debit payment facility will be offered from October, with the options of paying annually, six-monthly or even monthly
- Direct debit will not be offered for first registration, fleet schemes or HGVs paying the Road User Levy
However, to use or to store a vehicle on the road owners will still need to get vehicle tax and DVLA will still send a renewal reminder when vehicle tax is due to expire.
The second big change to current legislation is when buying and selling a car. The buyer will not be able to have the tax transferred with the vehicle and must obtain tax before using it on public highways.
The seller will automatically have any tax refunded as soon as DVLA has been notified of the change of ownership. Refunds will also automatically be paid with notification of the vehicle being scrapped at an authorised treatment facility, it has exported, been removed from public highways under a statutory off road notification (SORN) or the registered owner has changed the vehicle’s tax class to an exempt duty tax class.
Also from 1 October a direct debit payment facility will be offered as an additional way to pay for vehicle tax. This will be available for customers who need to tax their vehicle from 1 November whether annual, six-monthly or by monthly instalments.
However, direct debit payment will not be available for first registration, fleet schemes or HGVs paying the Road User Levy.
