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A couple of months back, we wrote about the new changes to car tax and how not to get caught out with law as a result.

Well it would seem even the vast following of Walton Bridge Garage wasn’t enough to spread the word, as new figures reveal a huge increase in the number of people receiving fines or having their cars towed for having no tax.

Before the good old tax disc was extinct from the motoring world, the number of vehicles being clamped or impounded for the lack of tax was at around 5,500 a month. Then the government rolled out their fancy new electronic system, that taxes cars through the power of the internet, and that number shot up to 8,000 a month – a 45% increase, even breaking the 10k mark during the summer months.

But far from a technical error as is usually the case, the DVLA are placing the cause of this jump on “confusion”. Many motorists are still unaware that under this new practice, when purchasing or transferring ownership of a vehicle, new tax must be purchased for the car in question regardless of how much tax is still left on it.

There is also confusion amongst those that have not set up a direct debit for their tax, despite being warned by that old fail safe, a letter from the DVLA.

It is inevitable that when transferring such a huge operation to the strictly online domain, there is going to be some teething problems. Anyone that has used the Dartford Crossing since it “modernised” will know this. At least in the defence of Dart Charge, they have been allowing a grace period for those who fail to pay a toll, before charging a further fine.

But with motorists falling foul of the new tax scheme receiving fines of as much as £250, it would seem the DVLA are utilising this confusion to their advantage and making themselves a few extra pounds for the fast approaching Christmas party.

The DVLA have been quick to point out that it’s not confusing everyone, 47m+ drivers taxed their vehicle since the change came into place at the start of October, with the majority doing so either by phone or online. They also maintain that impounding or clamping is a final resort in the case of tax avoidance.

At Walton Bridge Garage we like to keep our customers up to date and out of trouble, by making sure their cars are road worthy. If you’re not sure if your car is legally covered by its current tax, you can check it by going to the DVLA website and entering your licence plate number.

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