Life – Terror. Ecstasy. Fight. Denial. Flight. Failure. PAIN. Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Hope. Love. Peace – Death.
When this car, R13 CSM was purchased by the new owner it was currently Taxed (by the then current owner), a Mr Tim Varrall. Tim had pre-paid Road Tax up until 31/05/2024 (as validated and confirmed via DVLA database/.Gov Website). The sale ‘transfer of registration’ was ‘officially’ recorded, online, via the DVLA website, as sold to a new keeper, 28/11/2023 (14.00pm).
At that point the (then current), up-to-date Road Tax automatically ceased.
From that point the new owner was responsible for Taxing the vehicle and Mr Varrall was entitled to a refund for the remaining road tax (after 31st December), in this case up until the end of May 2024. Cancel your vehicle tax and get a refund – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). As per the above website, he is entitled to a refund for each and every full month remaining i.e. December 1st 2023 – May 31st 2024.
But what happens to the final few days of Novembers’ Road Tax? From 28/11/23 – 1/12/23. From sale date to the beginning of the next month? Well that depends, actually it doesn’t, what happens is they vanish! The situation might as in depending if and when the new keeper wishes to start using the vehicle on the road, but the remaining days, that are, in fact, already paid for, as in, no refund has or will be issued to Mr Varrall for these (pre-paid) days. They simply disappear into the governments ‘DVLA’ coffers.
Bad enough? But what is even worse?
If the new owner decides to drive the vehicle on any of the remaining days of November they have to pay for the full month of November? In effect November could have been paid for twice? By two people previous and again the current owner? This might not apply in every case, as in, the seller thinks about this and times their sale to neatly correspond with Tax obligations, renewals? Honestly, how often might that be the case?
In this specific case the new owner chose not to use the vehicle (was unable to use the vehicle until 1st December), due to delivery logistics and saved a months road tax.
This situation does pose some obvious questions?
There are potentially substantial amounts of ‘double dipping’ payments taking place via DVLA and road users? Doubling up of Road Tax payments for no apparent valid reason other than ‘they could not be bothered to alter an, outdated system’, or even worse, downright profiteering?
For example Somebody takes ownership of a vehicle 2nd December 2023 and wishes to drive said vehicle immediately? They must tax the vehicle from 1/12/2023, practically the whole month of December and then for a tyotal of 6 or 12 months beyond.
However, DVLA have, in many cases, already received payment for the full month of December from a previous owner. Despite being only a day into the current month, on change of ownership, the previous owner does not receive a refund for any of the month of December, only from the next full month, January.
DVLA are paid twice, ‘Double Dipping’!
In the modern days of Digital where calculations can (are) made of charges per day, hour, minutes even by the second in some cases (telephone/internet billing), why are Road Tax charges not applied (and subtracted) by the day? Why should the motorist be getting the short end, once again?
Thanks for Reading
Peace
Dying to Live 