What do YOU want to ask the DVLA?

[Guest]

We've managed to secure an interview with the DVLA's chief exec later this month.

 

Judging by the responses to this thread, the abolition of the tax disc is at the forefront of your minds: 

 

 

We'll have exclusive access to him on this topic and others - WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ASK?

 

Post your questions below....

[Gavin@Rousdon 137]

Sorry for cutting and pasting from another topic!!!

 

You can ask them if they plan to change the way 'Trade Plates' work and are issued.  Maybe a system that we can text the reg number of the car we are driving on trade plates so it gets logged onto a database. No need then to carry plates around with us and it won't flash up as an untaxed on ANPR camera's.

 

Also as the largest number of un-taxed cars will be sitting on dealers forecourts why do they seem so unwilling to engage with us. In most cases we will be educating customer on the new system, if we are in the dark then their phonelines are going to be overloaded.

 

Why not give the customer the opinion of leaving the remaining tax on the car? A simple tick box could save a lot of work for all.

 

Also do they plan to overhaul the cherished transfer system, yet again another product that us dealers do for (their) customers yet it causes us issues. The system doesn't work for dealers with part exchange cars. There must be an easier way. Why not talk to us and develope a system that is user friendly for everyone.

 

Also are the planning to make the V5 an electronic document? In this day and age it seems crazy that we have to wait 6 weeks for a V5.

[Wheelerdealer1 91]

Any updates?

[James Baggott 227]

The interview takes place in the next couple of weeks.

[metcars 394]

...... Also as the largest number of un-taxed cars will be sitting on dealers forecourts why do they seem so unwilling to engage with us.

+1 this. Will "in the trade" exist any more?

[Andy Entwistle 96]

I'd like to know if you can tax a car without it being registered to you. At present you can tax with a V5C, however if you want to tax online, you have to actually be the registered keeper. How will this work?

[umesh 336]

Lots of questions ! where do I start ... will try and jot a few IF we get any sense back !

[metcars 394]

Anyone else seen this?

 

http://www.unicominsurance.com/vehicle-tax-rules-changes.php?utm_source=MailingList&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Are+you+prepared+for+paperless+Tax+Discs%3F+%282%29

[countryman 13]

I have two questions (for the moment!):

 

First, what about a situation where the vehicle is 'in trade' (i.e. the yellow slip on the V5 has been sent off to DVLA by the registered keeper) BEFORE 1st October but the current tax disc expires AFTER 1st October? Surely DVLA cannot refund the balance of the tax to the previous owner as they no longer have title to the vehicle, nor are they the registered keeper?

 

Also, when a customer wants to pay for their tax by monthly Direct Debit, how is the dealer able to arrange this for them prior to them collecting the vehicle? I would have thought that they would need at least the V5C to do this, which I would not be comfortable in handing over until they have paid for the car in full. I know that dealers will still be able to tax cars using the V5C at the Post Office as we do at present, but that would presumably require full payment?

[williamblackshaw 43]

Think above covers the most, but well done car dealermagazine for this

[Guest]

Keep them coming....

[Wheelerdealer1 91]

Are there any plans to

Change the trade plate system?

If so when?

And what sort of changes are they looking at carrying out to it

[Andy Entwistle 96]

Here is the latest update from DVLA.. not sure its any clearer. hopefully our interview with them will help

 

www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-tax-changes

[GreenGiant 287]

If a customer trades in a car on the 1st of the month, the DVLA will supposedly refund them the unexpired tax (ie from the end of that month). Is the car, therefore, still taxed until the end of the month?

If the car has £Zero tax, there's nothing to refund, so will the same rules apply?

 

A customer brings a car in to us for part exchange appraisal/service/repair etc, we don't know if it is taxed so we can road test it. (Telling us to ask the customer or "just check on the DVLA website" is a really poorly thought-out answer: who's gonna do this? When? How much time do they think we have? Can they categorically, 100% guarantee that their website will function without any hiccups all of the time... without any exceptions?) How does that work when you have to collect a car from someone's workplace, for example, and they aren't available to ask. And you haven't got access to t'interweb? Do we gamble, or not collect the car and lose the work and get a poor CSI score? Why should we suffer because the DVLA doesn't have a process?

 

The elderly couple without a computer, who don't trust banks to manage their direct debits, so pay for everything by cheque - what's the plan for them?

 

It's not just us in the trade that need to understand; it's the whole population. What is the expected timescale for the whole country to be educated in the New Way? I only ask this because I suspect the DVLA have no idea how long it will take and probably rather hope we'll do a bit of the educating for them... if we wouldn't mind...for free...oh, yes and as a reward they'll also add yet more layers of onerous complexity to our over-legislated workday in order to give them something to punish us for when we get it wrong. Cheers.

 

Here's my view:

LEAVE IT AS IT IS - IT'S A PAIN, BUT IT WORKS!!!

AND REOPEN THE LOCAL OFFICES!!!!

[countryman 13]

GreenGiant, as I understand it in your first scenario (where the customer trades in on the first of the month), they will lose that whole month - as they do at present. 'Win Win' for the DVLA as they will have to tax their new car for the whole of that month also. So, if they trade in on the 1st August they will lose the WHOLE of August on their p/x vehicle PLUS they will have to pay for the whole of August for their new car!

 

The elderly couple with the cheque book will still be able to tax their vehicle at the Post Office on the green slip.

 

The DVLA's advice re movement of customer's cars seems to be use trade plates - great, but not everybody has them / enough of them

[Wheelerdealer1 91]

Is that really the advice coming out? To use trade plates for all movements ?

That really stinks, we only have one set and it was hard enough to get those will the interviews and other nonsense proof to provide, not to mention the cost of course !

I agree with green, leave it as is, but I suspect it's too late now

[GreenGiant 287]

I expect there'll be a massive TV & newspaper campaign costing millions.

That could have been spent keeping the local offices open.

 

GreenGiant, as I understand it in your first scenario (where the customer trades in on the first of the month), they will lose that whole month - as they do at present. 'Win Win' for the DVLA as they will have to tax their new car for the whole of that month also. So, if they trade in on the 1st August they will lose the WHOLE of August on their p/x vehicle PLUS they will have to pay for the whole of August for their new car!

 I get that, but is the Px still taxed to the end of August?

[countryman 13]

I expect there'll be a massive TV & newspaper campaign costing millions.

That could have been spent keeping the local offices open.

 

 I get that, but is the Px still taxed to the end of August?

 

No, it won't be - but the customer will have only received a refund for each full month unexpired.

 

'If you sell a vehicle after 1 October and you have notified DVLA, you will automatically get a refund for any full calendar months left on the vehicle tax.'

 

 

As for a TV campaign, my bet is they expect us to educate the general public for free!

[Wheelerdealer1 91]

Can we find out if only the registered keeper get the tax refund as is the case now?

[countryman 13]

Can we find out if only the registered keeper get the tax refund as is the case now?

 

From a post on Twittercardealers by Jason Llewelyn from DVLA ( http://twittercardealers.ning.com/forum/topics/tax-disc-abolution-from-dvla-faq ):

 

How will refunds be issued to the keepers who transfer vehicles to the motor trade?

Refunds will continue to be made to registered keepers, when DVLA receives notification of a change on the Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C). Refunds will also continue to be made when a keeper makes a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

 

How will refunds be issued to the motor traders whose vehicles are registered to the motor business?

Refunds will continue to be made to the motor trade business registered with DVLA, when a notification of change is received on the Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C). Refunds will also continue to be made when a motor business that is registered as a keeper makes a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

 

What must the seller do?

The seller must notify DVLA that the sale/transfer of the vehicle has taken place. A refund payment for any full months of vehicle tax outstanding will be sent to the seller upon notification of the sale from the seller.

 

Is it possible that the refund is sent to the wrong person?

The refund will always be paid to the person on the DVLA vehicle register. In the case where a vehicle is sold, the refund will be paid to the seller once DVLA receives notification that a vehicle has been sold.

[GreenGiant 287]

No, it won't be - but the customer will have only received a refund for each full month unexpired.

 

'If you sell a vehicle after 1 October and you have notified DVLA, you will automatically get a refund for any full calendar months left on the vehicle tax.'

 

 

As for a TV campaign, my bet is they expect us to educate the general public for free!

So. The customer gets a refund from the next month.

Therefore, by definition, the vehicle is taxed until the end of the current month. Isn't it?

Or is the DVLA hoping to obtain double revenue, potentially fraudulently, if the vehicle is then sold on in the same month and taxed back to the beginning.

Surely there has to be some kind of symmetry to the arrangement? This constant heads-they-win-tails-we-lose is quite disturbing in a supposedly democratic society.

[countryman 13]

So. The customer gets a refund from the next month.

Therefore, by definition, the vehicle is taxed until the end of the current month. Isn't it?

Or is the DVLA hoping to obtain double revenue, potentially fraudulently, if the vehicle is then sold on in the same month and taxed back to the beginning.

Surely there has to be some kind of symmetry to the arrangement? This constant heads-they-win-tails-we-lose is quite disturbing in a supposedly democratic society.

No - because the current month is not a 'full calendar month' - and yes, if the vehicle is sold in the same calendar month then they get paid twice for that month!

[GreenGiant 287]

No - because the current month is not a 'full calendar month'

That's my point, my friend - if the refund is from the 1st of next month, the vehicle must be taxed until the end of this month

[Wheelerdealer1 91]

And no change in the fact that only motor traders who register the car in the company name ( thus adding another owner ! ) can reclaim car tax refunds !

Frustrating !

I often lend out stick cars to customers or family etc when needed, I guess to do this now I will have to use the v5 c to tax the car and then come sale time kiss goodbye to a refund unless I register the car again in my name, what a mess

[countryman 13]

So now we know how the DVLA are communicating the changes to their customers: