The car tax disc, which has been placed proudly on British windscreens for more than 90 years, could be abolished. The Department for Transport (DfT) and the DVLA are having to consider this move following pressure from the ACFO and British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA). Following a consultation document released by the DfT last year, which focused on the reform of its four motoring services agencies, the department said they would 'consider the continuing need for the tax discî. Ministers say scrapping the paper disc would reduce costs and streamline services to motorists. With police able to tell if a car hasn't been properly taxed properly via access to DVLA's central computer system, the need for visible tax discs remains to be seen. ACFO director, John Pryor, agrees: 'DVLA has systems in place that identify the owner of a vehicle and whether or not it has been taxed. 'Additionally, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are in operation across the country. Therefore, why is the DVLA continuing to send out bits of paper?î Roddy Graham, commercial director at Leasedrive and chairman of the Institute of Car Fleet Management says the system needs to be reviewed: He said: 'The tax disc system is an absolute nightmare for leasing companies in terms of sending out new road fund licences, discs getting lost, etc. It causes mayhem. 'Tax disc fraud costs hundreds of thousands of pounds a year. If the cost of a tax disc was switched to fuel, administration would be simplified and the issue of fraud would be taken away because those people that don't buy a tax disc would have to buy fuel to drive a vehicle.î The growth of digital technology has resulted in tax disc reminders being sent increasingly as e-mails or texts rather than paperwork through the post. The paper part of a driving license is also due to be removed by 2015, part of the DVLA's further plans to modernise its organisation through the introduction of a new online database. The database would allow companies and individuals to check license details, which should help fleet organisations with day-to-day verifications. However, there is concern about the cost of such changes to rental car fleets, who would no longer be able to give licenses a quick check before authorising a lease, instead having to go online (or call the DVLA) for confirmation, which would feed through to higher rental charges for customers. Why not check out our service page to see how IT Fleet can help make managing your fleet even easier.
