UKC

If I go to Europe for a few months, can I cancel my road tax & still drive legally?

Mathew.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS: How will you get to the ferry/Eurostar and home again after?

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Certainly not in Spain where there is a recirrocal road tax arrangement (and MOT called ITV in Spain). I should imagine similar arrangements are in force for other counties

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

a quick check shows that you cant use SORN so suspect the answer is no.
Even without worrying about the other countries laws.

In reply to Trangia:

Come to think of it I was stopped for a random check a couple of years ago in France by a motorbike cop who asked to see all my documents.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Road tax was abolished in 1937 - so if you're still paying it, I'd contact the DVLA

In reply to A Game of Chance:

Bollocks, beat me to it!

;~))

In reply to A Game of Chance:

Have you heard about the new smart arose tax

In reply to A Game of Chance: mebbe someone should tell the DVLA.

I've got a 'Renewal reminder to get a tax disc'

Which I can do at www.direct.gov.uk/taxdisc

And informs me that

"Your tax disc or SORN for your vehicle will run out on xxxx
You must either * tax your vehicle
* tell us you are keeping your vehicle off the road
* tell us you no longer have the vehicle"

And I can also

'Tax at a Post Office branch or by post'

In reply to Oceanrower:


And I pay tax on my food shopping, still not road tax...

In reply to A Game of Chance: "If you do not tax your vehicle you must keep it off the road...."

In reply to Oceanrower:

It's a tax on motorised vehicles, still not road tax...

In reply to A Game of Chance:

_Some_ motorised vehicles if you really want to be pedantic.

Although IMHO all this "road tax doesn't exist it's called vehicle excise duty so ner-ner-ne-nerr-nerr" stuff normally seems to come across as smartassery and to distract from the more important parts of the point, which are that a) vehicle excise duty doesn't even come close to paying for the road network with the bulk of the money coming from general taxation and b) in any case the amount of tax you pay doesn't change your right of access to publicly provided services any more than paying loads of income tax means you can bump poor people down hospital waiting lists.

Sorry, massively off topic...

In reply to A Game of Chance:

Only if they use the road.

Road tax is as good a name as any.

Get over it

In reply to A Game of Chance: Yawn

In reply to MG:

Past your bed time, got your paper round in the morning?

In reply to 1poundSOCKS: I guess to summarise, it's not road tax, but I still have to pay it. The reason I thought to ask is, my motorised vehicle tax runs out in April, but I'll be on the continent for the whole month, so how can I renew my tax? The obvious thought was, do I need to? Still not sure how to renew it, I know I can do it online, but how to get the disk?

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

You can apply before it expires.

In reply to timjones: Can you? That would be ideal, the car-geeks at work have let themselves down on that one!

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I can't remember how long in advance, when are you leaving for your trip?

In reply to timjones:

2 months, some special rules apply as below.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-tax-disc-in-advance

In reply to dissonance: Okay thanks. Leaving end of February, so I guess that's a problem, my tax is valid until end of April. I still need to read the link though.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

You don't need a tax disk in France, even French cars don't have them anymore, but perhaps that's not your question? I don't think they will chack at the cusoms on your return, at least they never did with me... but maybe that's not what you mean either.