DVLA Launches Campaign Targeting Road Tax Evaders
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has initiated a new advertising campaign targeting motorists who delay or avoid paying their vehicle excise duty (VED), commonly known as road tax. The campaign uses the tag lines “tax it, don’t risk it” and “hard to hide, easy to tax” and sends out a clear message to drivers that failing to pay your road tax on time carries the risk of severe penalties.
As well as using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to catch tax evaders, the DVLA has teams of enforcement agents and wheel clampers travelling around the UK daily to penalise untaxed vehicles. Guilty drivers might find an automated fine dropping through their letterbox, while persistent offenders could have their car clamped, face court action, receive a fine of up to £1,000, or even have their vehicle seized.
UK’s Road Tax Evasion Hot Spots
The DVLA has released data showing the locations where the most road tax avoidance actions were enforced in 2021. These include fines, clamping and vehicle seizures. London came out on top with 97,013 enforcement actions, followed by Birmingham with 52,073 and Manchester with 28,703. In Scotland, Glasgow led the field with 25,304 actions.
According to the DVLA, more than 98% of the UK’s vehicles are taxed properly, “but it’s right that we take action against those who continue to break the law.” The ad campaign stresses that untaxed vehicles are difficult to hide and those drivers who avoid paying road tax will be prosecuted, so it’s not worth the risk of being caught.
It’s now simpler than ever before to tax a vehicle. The DVLA offers a 24-hour online service, you can tax the car at the Post Office, and you can even set up a direct debit to spread the cost.
Road Tax Changes to Be Introduced in April
Drivers are being advised by the DVLA to tax their cars before it’s due, if possible, before VED price increases come into effect in April. The price rise for road tax was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his budget last autumn and will be in line with inflation.
The amount of road tax you’ll pay is based on CO2 emissions and those driving petrol and diesel vehicles will see the biggest increase. There is no change in the VED for new vehicles priced at more than £40,000 and cars that run on alternative fuels.
To tax your car online, you’ll need the reference number from the V5C log book or from a reminder letter you’ve received. You must tax your vehicle even if you’re exempt from paying.
The DVLA now has many online services to make it quick and easy to carry out a number of car related activities. If you buy a personalised number plate from CarReg, it’s simple to assign the registration number to a vehicle, or to transfer and retain a private number plate. At CarReg, we can help you with the paperwork.
