Road tax disc change in the law

[a101960]

As all UK residents will know, from October this year there will no longer be a legal requirement to display a valid road tax disc on your vehicle. Yesterday I took my bike for its annual MOT test, and today I went to the Post Office and got my new tax disc. It expires at the end of July 2015. As a matter of interest, does anyone know if (since it has been issued for a period of 12 months) will it have to be displayed until it expires next July. Or after October 2014 can it be removed? I am guessing that as from October the offence of failing to display will also be repealed.  The reason for my curiosity is because if I no longer need to display a current valid road tax disc, I thought that it would be a nice touch to put a facsimile tax disc for 1960 in the tax disc holder.

[Angus]

Don't know about the legality after October 2014, but when I can I am getting two of these (May get 3 one for the G80 that could be classed as progress with the build  )
www.britichtaxdiscs.co.uk

[beezermacc]

I think the law is pretty clear. After 1st October it is no longer a requirement to display a tax disc (so you can remove it). There are some other aspects of the law which not everyone has spotted, particularly that any valid period of tax still applying to a vehicle is not transferred when the vehicle is sold, so if you buy a bike which is taxed you have to re-tax it in your name. Details of the law are at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-changes

[Butch (cb)]

It's only a non display penalty anyway so I've not bothered unduly.

My A10 wears it's '79 tax disc from when it was last on the road and has done since decommissioning about 5 years ago. When the H1 took to the roads again this spring it was resplendent with its '85 disc from when it last rolled a wheel.

[duTch]

 They doing the same here with the stickers, maybe a global movement 

 Thing is, I heard of people getting done for wearing an 'out of date' sticker- but that's 'round here....they'll do anything for a dollar

[muskrat]

Gone are the days when Mr Plod would pull you over and look at your sticker. Now most of the Highway Patrol cars have # plate recognition camera/computer that only takes 2 seconds to tell if your rego is out.
In NSW, club rego'd bikes still need a sticker.
Cheers

[stu.andrews]

I have read differently, although I cannot remember where, that from October, no new discs will be issued, BUT, those issued up to the end of September 2014 must be displayed for their full term. So, discs will not disappear entirely until 1st October 2015. More red tape! Has anyone else read this?

[Topdad]

Yes Stu, thats my understanding , my car is retaxed in July thought I could sling the disc after October but was told that it needed to be displayed until it ran out . Anything to confuse you ! Still as musky said the police use there computers to check ( and so they don't have to get out of the car ) and really who would report you here in the UK . Traffic wardens used to look but they've been replaced by british legion employed people . Haven't seen a true warden for years , have I just been lucky?? regards BobH

[derek taylor]

think i will put a guinness bear mat in my holder

[duTch]

  What's a...

guinness bear mat

....?

[muskrat]

You've gotta get out more duTch. It's a coaster.
Cheers

[ShaunMac]

I still have the last tax disc my dad got for the bike in 2000 so I'm going to put that in for display.

[duTch]

 Shaun, you're the man I was thinkin' of- setting the standard...

 Yeah Musky, I actually need to get out less...I know about  those soggy bits of cardboard-miss 'em every time
 ......'mat' makes more sense though than 'coaster', but what I really was wondering is the 

guinness bear

 I know that Guinness and beer are not the same thing and'm lead to believe the words can't be used together....so it must be a code..        

[bsa-bill]

Just revisited this thread after noticing the tax disc on my 59 expired few months back, I've had no reminder (and I need lots of reminders) so it's out of date.

From what I've read I'm unsure if the law now means you don't need a disc displayed or you don't need a disc at all - soooo does this mean you don't have to register the bike with the DVLA or at a post office anymore.

scuse this being a bit dumb I'm sure I've missed something somewhere - it's an age thing

as is this --
A woman goes back to work after thirty years.

Watch carefully, the video is only 5 seconds long, but, you'll get it.
>
>             
>             Do not mail to people in their  forties (40)
>             They probably won't understand it.
 
             www.youtube.com/embed/qteu4ld_SCE?rel=0

[Beezageezauk]

Hi Bill,

The way I understand it is that you will still need to go through the motions of taxing your vehicle(s) but as DVLA records will hold all the details on computer, which will be readily available to the authorities,  there will be no need to physically display the tax disc.

Is your 59 on SORN?  If so, you won't get a reminder because it will now remain SORNED until you sell the machine or tax it, unlike previously when you had to SORN the machine on an annual basis.  If the actual tax has expired I would guess that the reminder has gone walkabout in the postal system and you should either tax it or SORN it asap.

The other thing to note that as of October, if you buy a vehicle that is taxed, the tax doesn't come with that vehicle and you will need to tax it yourself.  On the other hand, if you sell a vehicle that you have paid road fund duty (tax) on, the duty won't be transferred to the new owner and DVLA will send you an automatic refund of the outstanding amount.

Apart from these points there are probably other changes to the new system that we in the UK will need to familiarise ourselves with.

Hope this helps,

Beezageezauk.