Changes to car tax laws begin Oct. 1

  • Published
  • By Staff Reports
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF Mildenhall, England --  Beginning Oct. 1, 2014, paper car tax discs will no longer need to be displayed on vehicle windshields, and will no longer be available from post offices or provided if ordered online, due to changes in U.K. road tax laws.

"However, members must still pay road tax," said Capt. Christopher Bailey, 100th Air Refueling Wing Judge Advocate Office, chief of international and operations law from Abilene, Texas.

Those with valid tax discs after Oct. 1 can either leave it displayed until it expires, or remove it from the vehicle and destroy it.

"The biggest change members should be aware of is when buying or selling a car. When buying a car, (the new owner) must pay the road tax for the vehicle," said Bailey.

Anyone selling a vehicle after Oct. 1 must notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency so they can receive a refund on any full calendar months left on the disc.

The DVLA will issue refunds automatically, once they have been notified by the person named on their register that any of the following has occurred:

· The vehicle has been sold or transferred.
· The vehicle has been scrapped at an authorized treatment facility.
· The vehicle has been exported.
· The vehicle has been removed from the road and the person on the vehicle register has made a Statutory Off-Road Notification.
· The person on the vehicle register has changed the tax class on the vehicle to an exempt-duty tax class.

Methods of payment for car tax will remain the same. It can still be renewed at most British post offices or online. If using the post office, the DVLA reminder and Ministry of Transport test certificate must be presented. Although proof of insurance no longer needs to be shown but the vehicle must still be insured.

A new option is to pay by continuous direct debit, which avoids the risk of driving an untaxed vehicle if one forgets to pay tax. The direct debit will continue for as long as there is valid MOT on the vehicle.

Anyone getting their car tax for the first time, should go through the 100th Security Forces Squadron Pass and Registration Office.

For more information on the status or expiration of a vehicle's road tax, contact the DVLA at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/driver-and-vehicle-licensing-agency.

(Information courtesy of DVLA)