If you’re a driver in the UK, then you must have pay vehicle tax. Failure to which will result in heavy penalties and fines. For this reason, it’s in your best interest to pay these taxes in order to avoid any confrontation with law enforcement.
Besides, don’t you want to go about your activities without having to worry about when an officer will stop you?
Of course, you do. This is why after this guide you’ll know how to check due dates and how much it’ll cost you if you fail to renew on time.
Again, vehicle tax is mandatory. However, it’s easy to forget the renewal dates. Failing to do so will attract hefty penalty. For example, you’ll land a staggering £2,500 in fines. Further, the law enforcement officers will impound your car, thus depriving you of your means of transport.
Nevertheless, some drivers forget to renew their taxes due to genuine reasons and not as a means of trying to evade taxes.
One of the major reasons, however, is the collapse of the tax disc. This continues to cause confusion among many drivers. The tax disc was visual; thus, drivers had an easy time remembering the renewal due dates.
Indeed, going by research conducted in 2016, a whopping 106,000 cares were impounded after they failed to pay the road tax. This is more than double the figures recorded in 2014 which stood at 57,254. If you’re among the statistic, then you’ll be glad to learn of a simple method you can employ to check the renewal dates.
This is by visiting the gov.uk website where you’ll enter your registration number and get the renewal date in a snap. In here, you can select from three payment durations. Either, monthly, bi-annually or annually. Furthermore, you can use direct debit to pay.
The DVLA will take all payments on the first business day of the month. In addition, if you’re using direct debits, it will renew automatically and before the renewal, you’ll receive an email from the DVLA indicating how much you’ll pay.
Similar to car insurance premiums, vehicle tax also varies from one car to another. Some of the factors that influence the amount you’ll pay include the year your car was built, the value, the model, the make and the latest one being the fuel type. The latter came into effect on April 2018.
If you fail to pay your tax, you’ll land a spot fine of up to £80. You can also keep your car if you don’t want to drive it by applying for a statutory off-road notice (SORN). If you don’t do so, you’ll attract a fine of £1,000. It gets worse if you drive an untaxed vehicle without a SORN. For this, you’ll have to pay a £2,500 fine.
The DVLA Campaign
The DVLA started a new campaign to crack down on all road tax evadersARRY, which could affect thousands of drivers in fines. However, the DVLA is also sensitizing motorists using the message “Tax it or lose it” which they hope will create awareness among motorists.
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