Discworld no more

The demise of the tax disc

• Legislation
• news

That iconic little paper disc which has graced our motorcycles and windscreens for the last 93 years, is no more. You may still see them for a while as folks just don’t get round to throwing them away, but soon, they will be simply one of those here today, gone tomorrow things, relics of a bygone era. Come to think of it they already look like something more suited to Dad’s Army than the snappy instant shiny throwaway new digital world in which we now live. Because they will now acquire vintage chic appeal they may hang around on vehicles as a bit of whimsy until they fade to grey, but their days of useful work are over.  Soon they will only be ‘retro’ and will be made in facsimile for the last trundling Morris Minors and BSA Bantams on the road.


Yes the first of October saw the demise of the paper tax disc for vehicles. Yipee you may think, no more road tax – now come on - of course in ‘this world where nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes’ (Benjamin Franklin) this is not the case. Things like this only happen when they are saving governments money, obviously it will not save us, the humble motorcyclist money.
You will indeed still have to tax your vehicle but it will now be checked online to make sure it has been taxed – no one will be physically checking your tax disc. But no, there is still no escape.

In theory this change may, be good for road users as road tax can be paid by direct debit now, so the cost can be spread out over the year and paid either monthly, six monthly or annually. The 10 per cent surcharge, which used to apply to paying in instalments, instead of as a one off payment, has been reduced to 5 per cent, so that is helpful.
When renewal time comes along you should get a reminder from the DVLA and you can use the 16 digit number on the renewal form to pay it online or set up a direct debit to pay it automatically from then on. As long as the vehicle has a valid MOT the vehicle’s tax will be renewed automatically in future if you choose the direct debit option, until you contact the DVLA to tell them otherwise.

The option to pay monthly should help riders and drivers who are struggling to pay every year, by spreading the payments out into more manageable monthly chunks. Apparently a poll by the money comparison website money.co.uk said that currently 34% of drivers struggle to pay their road tax, so this may be useful.

Interestingly, it seems from survey results that over half of UK drivers are so far unaware of the tax disc changes – they are going to wonder why so many people are not bothering to pay their road tax when they start noticing the absence of displayed discs – is civil disobedience setting in they may ask?
All in all this new system could be a welcome relief to motorcyclists as tax discs could be a pain to fit on many bikes and were prone to being stolen – no need to worry about that anymore.

The RAC has said that getting rid of the displayed paper tax disc could lead to an increase in drivers attempting to dodge payment. Currently there are about a million drivers out there driving without insurance and the RAC thinks that this could be mirrored in road tax dodging once there is no need to display a disc. They say this could lead to a £167million cost to the economy from people not paying road tax. The DVLA however says that this is nonsense and will not happen as everyone's motorcycle or car will be checked online so they will not be able to avoid payment.


The new rules also mean that used vehicle sellers must inform the DVLA immediately when they sell a vehicle, and any extra whole months of road tax will be refunded to the seller. So if you are selling a vehicle you need to get the forms sorted out straight away or you will be deemed to still be responsible for the vehicle and may face a £1000 fine.
The buyer will have to start paying road tax for the vehicle, from the date of purchase. If you buy a vehicle you can tax it straight away using the New Keeper Supplement (V5C/2) part of the vehicle registration certificate (V5C) online or by using the DVLA automated phone service 0300 123 4321.  If it's all too much and you need the help of a human you can do it in the Post Office too.

It has been mooted that old original tax discs, especially ones with a unique or interesting date or number on them, may be worth money to collectors in the future so don’t throw them away just yet – who knows you may be driving around with a disc which is worth more than the paper it is printed on.
So what do you think – will you miss our little round paper companions which have travelled the roads with us, reborn in a new fashionable colour every year, or is it one piece of paperwork you will be glad to see the back of?
Any thoughts? Email us at [email protected]