Quote:
Originally Posted by mss
I feel that most of you chaps make this too complicated for yourselves.
VED is a tax associated with the privilege of owning or using a vehicle that may use a public highway at some time during the period in question. If a vehicle is VED'd, it is a reasonable assumption that it will occupy a public highway at some time and therefore has a risk to third parties associated with this possibility. Whether you actually drive the vehicle is a red herring in that this act would require additional insurance covering the specific driver in addition to the insurance providing cover for the car. If you are not intending to keep a car on a public highway, or drive it, then why not declare SORN as this reflects its correct status and your intention.
A vehicle on a public highway has a risk profile in relation to other highway users irrespective of whether it is occupied by a driver or not and whether being driven or not.
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As I said in my opening post, if I am only taking my car off the road, and switching the insurance to another vehicle, rather than unnecessarily insuring 2 vehicles when one is in my garage with the engine out, if I SORN it, I lose the tax for the rest of that month, and when I put it back on the road, I have to pay 2 installments of tax up front, one of which I will not get the benefit of until I sell the car. I have for a long time thought it would be far simpler and fairer to put the tax on fuel, even though I am a high fuel user. That way, you pay depending on the car you have and the way you drive and distance. And you can't avoid paying it. Then, to be legal, your car needs insurance and an MoT, both of which are on the Police database. Next thing is, they'll put up the price of an MoT, and state that it expires with change of ownership, as well as yearly! And I don't care what you call it, VED is still a TAX on driving my CAR on a ROAD - so CAR TAX or ROAD TAX!