Tag: driving

Driving licence fees set to fall

licenceDriving licence fees are set to fall by up to 32% under plans announced by Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander and Transport Minister Claire Perry.

The proposals are contained in a public consultation on driver licensing fees. The consultation sets out a proposed reduction in driving licence fees of 32% for digital transactions and 15% for paper applications.

As part of the proposals, drivers who apply online for their first driving licence would see the fee drop from £50 to £34. Drivers who renew their licence after 10 years would see the fee drop from £20 to £14. All driver tachograph cards would fall from £38 to £32.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander said: “I have been working hard to drive savings across the whole public sector and it’s great to see the benefit of these efficiencies feed through to drivers and businesses pockets. What the DVLA have shown today is that you can do more for less.”

Transport Minister Claire Perry said: “The cost of driving can be significant, especially for new drivers. I’m pleased to say that we are planning to save drivers £18m a year by cutting licence fees, thanks to the DVLA making significant savings to their running costs.”

The proposals are expected to save drivers nearly £18 million and the industry around £2 million every year.

DVLA is currently reviewing all the fees they charge to motorists and the consultation launched today is the first step in this ongoing review. The consultation (document attached below) closes on 25 August 2014.

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DVLA reveals top ten tax disc excuses

DVLA reveals top ten excuses for not buying a tax disc

A motorist who claimed to have taken so much Viagra he could not leave the house was just one of a number of excuses from people who failed to tax their car last year. 

According to information released by Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) yesterday (28 July), motorists caught for not having a tax disc last year used a variety of incredible excuses – and the organisation has compiled a Top Ten.

Among the reasons cited for failure to tax a vehicle, how about: ‘My mate said that if the cost of the tax is more than what the car’s worth you haven’t got to pay it!’

One motorist claimed to have fallen out of a tree while fruit picking and broke both arms so they could not fill in the necessary forms, while another motorist even blamed their mobile phone.

Carolyn Williams, DVLA’s Head of Digital Services, said: “The vast majority of people tax their car on time but it amazes me to see the excuses people come up with. It’s easier than ever before for people to tax their car and our digital services are designed to be used any time of day or night to fit in with people’s lifestyles – so there really is no need for silly excuses.”

The 10 silliest excuses: 

  1. My accountant told me I’m due a tax rebate so I didn’t think I needed to pay again this year.
  2. I was on my way to the Post Office to tax the car and called into the betting shop – there was a horse running at Doncaster called ‘Don’t Do It’ so I bet on that with my car tax money instead – it lost.
  3. My mate said that if the cost of the tax is more than what the car is worth you haven’t got to pay it – it’s not, so I didn’t.
  4. I fell out of a tree picking plums and broke both my arms.
  5. I took too much Viagra and couldn’t leave the house.
  6. I’d forgotten the motorbike was in my garage – it was hidden behind the BBQ so it’s not my fault.
  7. I had man flu and couldn’t go to the Post Office.
  8. I’ve been out of the country for four months and I forgot where I parked my car.
  9. My dog ate the reminder.
  10. My reminder on my phone didn’t work so it’s not my fault

The quickest and easiest way to tax a vehicle is to go online or ‘phone 0300 123 4321. It’s a fully automated system and should take no more than 4 minutes. Vehicles must either be taxed or declared off-road – this is done by making a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

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