News: Last tax discs being offered for up to £2,000 on eBay

FOR YEARS motorists moaned about the high cost of road tax but now, two weeks after the government abolished the discs that proved it had been paid, the little circles of paper are being advertised online for as much as £2,000.

From October 1 drivers were no longer required to display a tax disc on their vehicle and the DVLA ceased to produce them. The government said that instead, road tax compliance would be enforced by technology, including automatic numberplate recognition cameras (ANPR), in conjunction with the DVLA’s records.

Now, two weeks after the withdrawal of the tax disc, speculative drivers have sniffed an opportunity to make considerably more money than the disc cost them in the first place. Some are advertising old and current discs for as much as £2,000 on websites such as eBay.

Discs issued in September, the month before they were scrapped, and valid for 12 months to September 30 2015, appear to be the most prized. There could also be strong demand for the DVLA’s recent emergency-issue, non-perforated discs, ­also produced in September when supplies of the special perforated paper ran low.

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Unperforated discs that have not been torn out of their issuing document are also being advertised for up to £2,000.

The tax discs could be popular among collectors, called velologists. Tony Hill, velologist and author of Trade and Collect Tax Discs, says the market in unexpired tax discs has grown in recent years and that now they are no longer going to be issued interest, and prices, could rise further still. However, to maximise their value, he advises sellers look after their discs.

“Because there are so many of the current tax discs in existence, the best tip is to keep your discs in pristine condition and store them safely,” he said.

The highest price paid for a tax disc is £810 for one expiring in December 1921, the first year they were issued. Experts reckon such a disc would be worth around £1,000 now, so there could be a lot of crossed fingers among those selling their 2014 equivalents.

Meet the 12-year-old boy who has 12,000 tax discs.

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