Charlotte Haye 21st September 2019

What Has The DVLA Been Doing To Clamp Down On Tax Evasion?

Vehicle tax. It’s one of those things that no one really likes, but everyone has to do – even HGVs. The only vehicles who can slip through the tight DVLA tax net are purely electric cars or vehicles, and there aren’t too many of them on the roads yet thanks to their hefty price tag! But as long as there has been vehicle tax, you have people trying to avoid paying it. Unfortunately for them, vehicle tax evasion is easily identified and dealt with – and is usually much more expensive than taxing the vehicle in the first place! 2018 was a particularly bad year for vehicle tax evasion, and so the DVLA have been cracking down on it hard this year. But what exactly have they been doing, why are they doing it, and is it working?

Why The Action?

The DVLA tracks vehicle tax evasion very carefully, and over the course of 2018 they discovered that rates had been on the increase. In particular, there were 11 locations across the UK where evasion rates were highest (based on enforcement actions taken), including:

London
Northern Ireland
Birmingham
Manchester
Glasgow
Sheffield
Cardiff
Nottingham
Bristol
Leicester
Coventry

To put it in perspective, London saw 464,000 enforcement actions on untaxed vehicles in 2018 alone, ranging from fines to clamping. If we assume that each of those vehicles was supposed to pay tax on one of the middle bands (around £150 per year), then this is £69,600,000 in lost revenue to the DVLA, all of which goes back to maintaining and improving our road systems nationwide. So now you can see why the DVLA is so keen to catch those not paying their bit!

What Are They Doing?

So, now we know why they are taking action – what exactly is it they’re doing?

The core of their efforts is centred around a single campaign slogan ‘tax it or lose it’. Enforcement agents from the DVLA are on the prowl across the country looking for untaxed vehicles and spreading the message. There are multiple advertising campaigns in each of the ‘hotspot’ regions, including radio, printed publications, poster sites, websites and social media – all of which are designed to make motorists think twice if they are considering not taxing their vehicles. There is even a DVLA car with a giant (and we mean giant – it’s taller than the car) clamp attached saying ‘tax it or we’ll clamp it’. The idea is to raise awareness of the issues surrounding untaxed vehicles, and prompt more people to ensure their car, van or HGV is properly taxed.

And it’s working. So far the DVLA have clamped over 9,000 vehicles during the campaign, and they’re just getting started. So remember their motto: tax it, or lose it!

What’s The Penalty?

Do you know what punishment could you face if you drive your vehicle untaxed? Well, depending on how long you leave it, it could be:

A DVLA-imposed fine of £80 for driving without road tax (which can be halved if paid within 28 days).
If you don’t pay this fine, it will increase to a fine of up to £1,000, or 5 times your annual road tax.
If you are physically caught driving without road tax, then there is a fixed penalty notice of up to £1,000 issued and payable on the spot.
Knowingly allowing someone to drive without road tax could mean a fine of up to £1,000 for both you and the driver, or £2,500 if the vehicle carries 8 passengers or more.
Driving a vehicle that’s due a higher rate of road tax without paying it could get you a penalty of £1000 or 5 times the annual road tax for the vehicle.
Driving without tax also means your car could be clamped or impounded, which means you will also need to pay a release fee. If your car is clamped, you need to pay your car tax within 24 hours, along with a release fee of £100 and a ‘surety deposit’ of between £160-£700, depending on the vehicle, which will be returned within 2 weeks of the tax behind paid.

In those high-evasion areas, the DVLA is doubling down, issuing fines AND clamping offending vehicles. So there’s no doubt about it – your car tax may be expensive, but not paying it will be far more so!!

Since the death of the physical tax disc, the DVLA have been working to make it as easy as possible to tax your vehicle from anywhere. You can pay your vehicle tax in as little as 5 minutes using their online portal, with reminder letters sent out well in advance to make sure you know it needs to be done. You can also use this portal to check when your tax is due if you’re not sure. Or, if you prefer the futuristic touch, you can even ask Alexa or Google when your tax runs out! All you need is your registration number. If you rely on your vehicle for work, you really can’t afford to not pay your road tax on time.

Really, it’s never been easier to make sure your vehicle is taxed – so what’s your excuse?

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