Government to scrap paper tax disc
Thursday 20th December, 2012
The Government is consulting on a proposal to scrap the paper tax disc – because computer checks have now effectively made it redundant.
The paper tax disc has been in use for over 90 years but modern systems such as automatic number plate recognition mean the Police no longer rely on it.
Continuous car insurance now law
Scrapping the paper tax disc would both save money and cut bureaucracy – while also theoretically making things simpler for the 36 million motorists who display one.
Instead of receiving a paper tax disc, proof that a vehicle was registered would simply be stored electronically, with owners receiving confirmation that they’ve paid via email or text message.
Once the vehicle owner had paid their road fund licence fee, the details would be uploaded to the DVLA computer for the Police to check against.
However, while it is now an unnecessary motoring fixture, the move is still likely to sadden some motoring enthusiasts, who see the paper disc as staple of British motoring.
The fact the disc changes colour each year also makes it easier to check if the car owner has paid their road fund licence fee, too.
The plans are part of a wider government consultation into cutting outdated systems and complex processes: it wants to rely more heavily on online systems and cut areas of wastage.
Will you miss the paper tax disc?
