News: Almost 40% of motorists still displaying tax disc

MORE THAN two months after paper tax discs were rendered obsolete, two out of five drivers are still displaying it in their cars.

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New legislation came into force in the UK on October 1 that saw the humble tax disc committed to the history books as the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) went digital.

Motorists no longer have to display the disc in their windscreens thanks to the widespread use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and the DVLA’s extensive digital database of all vehicles and their tax status.

But it seems some nostalgic drivers just can’t let go of the coloured discs, as 39.4% of those asked in a recent government poll admitted to displaying the paper document in the window of their vehicle.

Nearly a quarter of respondents (24.8%) said they have left the tax disc in the window but will remove it when it expires, yet 14.6% said they will leave it in regardless.

14.6% said they will leave it displayed in the window regardless

The new legislation has led to a rise in the number of velologists – the name given to tax disc collectors – heading to online auction sites in order to snap up the last remaining tax discs of the year. One of the last issued paper tax discs, which expires on September 30, 2015 was placed on eBay for £2,000.

It didn’t attract any bids but more realistic sellers have received figures ranging from £30 to £50 for their redundant discs.

A separate poll on the Driving Facebook page has so far revealed an even more stark result, with around 50% of respondents at the time of writing admitting they haven’t removed the tax disc yet.