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Stupid question about taxation

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yessuz

Active Member
Dec 30, 2021
3,659
2,311
Midlands
Here's quick question:

Just received Vehicle Tax Reminder from DVLA (value 0)

It also tells me that my tax runs our by 31st of January (strange, as I picked up my car on 8th of Feb).

Would this mean, that in general, I can do the taxation on the 1st of February and all is good? does this also mean, that next year the end of car being taxed is end of February?
 
As you have found, you still have to tax the vehicle even as it’s at zero cost. (Wish income tax was at 0% 🙂). You will need to do the tax by/on the 31st Jan as that is when it runs out.
Than you for the answer, but that answer is not to the question I have asked.

I am fully aware that I have to tax it even cost is zero. And also I understand that my tax runs out on 31st of January.

I am asking:
If I tax it on 1st of February (my tax runs out on 31st of January), will the tax period next year will finish on the 28th of February 2024
 
Than you for the answer, but that answer is not to the question I have asked.

I am fully aware that I have to tax it even cost is zero. And also I understand that my tax runs out on 31st of January.

I am asking:
If I tax it on 1st of February (my tax runs out on 31st of January), will the tax period next year will finish on the 28th of February 2024
No, if you tax it on the 1st Feb, the first month you're paying for is February, so your 12 months will be Feb to Jan inclusive, therefore due for renewal on 31/1 so it's taxed for 1st Feb again.
 
When I bought a car on 20th August 2016 the tax renewal 1st September 2017
When I bought my Tesla on 9th Dec 2019 Tax renewal 1st December 2020
Latest Tesla 24th Dec 2022 Expect renewal 1st January 2024

Edit
Just checked Government website. Renewal date 1st December 2023. Not a problem since tax is £0 but will have to see what 2025 brings.
 
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Potentially useful hint from running more classic cars, retax you car x months later. This will offset MOT and car tax meaning any MOT issues does not clash with taxing car which might prevent easily getting a car tax. Should not be a problem with a relatively new car but when it can take 6 months to get a windscreen replacement that would otherwise fail an MOT and thus be untaxable, you will at least have a taxed car that you don’t need to worry so much about.
 
When I bought a car on 20th August 2016 the tax renewal 1st September 2017
When I bought my Tesla on 9th Dec 2019 Tax renewal 1st December 2020
Latest Tesla 24th Dec 2022 Expect renewal 1st January 2024

Edit
Just checked Government website. Renewal date 1st December 2023. Not a problem since tax is £0 but will have to see what 2025 brings.
when a new car is registered the it can be taxed for part of a month, unlike a used car. So when you picked up your cars that were registered near the end of the month as new they were probably taxed for 1 year and a couple of weeks hense the renewal date being the end of the month you collected in. the one that was collected on the 9th they did not do this so the renewal date was the start of that month.
This is all normal. I assume DVLA allow it to avoid skewing collections of new cars towards the start of the month. if the VED is not free then you have to pay for these extra weeks pro rata. they are not free.
 
Potentially useful hint from running more classic cars, retax you car x months later. This will offset MOT and car tax meaning any MOT issues does not clash with taxing car which might prevent easily getting a car tax. Should not be a problem with a relatively new car but when it can take 6 months to get a windscreen replacement that would otherwise fail an MOT and thus be untaxable, you will at least have a taxed car that you don’t need to worry so much about.
Also, when they announce when exactly in 2025 we all have to pay road tax (January? March with new regs? April with financial year?) we can all re-tax our cars just before this date to delay the inevitable -
 
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It also tells me that my tax runs our by 31st of January (strange, as I picked up my car on 8th of Feb).
Mot strange at all. tax on a new car normally renews at the month end closest to the collection date. For a car collected on Feb 8th I would be surprised if the renewal was any other date other than January 31st.
renew anytime between the 1st of Jan and the 28th of Feb and the new tax will begin on the 1st of Feb and end on 31st of Jan next year. Better to do before it expires at the end of Jan obviously.
 
Here's quick question:

Just received Vehicle Tax Reminder from DVLA (value 0)

It also tells me that my tax runs our by 31st of January (strange, as I picked up my car on 8th of Feb).

Would this mean, that in general, I can do the taxation on the 1st of February and all is good? does this also mean, that next year the end of car being taxed is end of February?
Tax still works in whole months because that part of the system was designed for paper tax discs and hasn't been modernised. You collected in February, so would have got an "expires January" tax disc in the old days.

You really shouldn't wait until 1 February before renewing - legally you need to either renew or declare SORN before the tax expires. You can renew any time after the renewal notice is issued (which I believe is the 5th of the month, so about three-and-a-half weeks before expiry) and it will be extended by 12 months.

I suspect the only way to get an end-of-Feb expiry would be to declare SORN before the end of January, leave the car off road for the entire month of February, and then tax it in March.

EDIT: I know your tax rate is £0, but in general the government doesn't want people to get a free month by renewing late, so I believe renewals are always be backdated if you renew late. And renewing late is risky, because you could be prosecuted - although prosecution is unlikely for a very short delay. The only way to legally have an untaxed vehicle is to declare SORN (statutory off road notification), where you are informing the DVLA that the car is being kept off road. You then have to tax it again before you can legally drive it.

EDIT^2: Hmm, actually, you could perhaps renew your road tax this month for another year, then in March declare SORN (you'll get a pro-rata refund for any usused whole months, so you'll get ten twelfths of £0 back :)) and then tax it again as soon as the SORN has been processed. If you tax it in March you should get an "expires-Feb" tax period. Problem is that I'm not sure how long it will take for everything to be processed and therefore how long your car would be SORN and unable to be used. Disclaimer: This is just a thought experiment and I really wouldn't recommend you try this. I'm am not responsible if your car gets crushed by the police and you end up in jail :)

EDIT^3: Although, if the police do decide to sieze and crush your car, it would be great if you could try and get a video of the subsequent fire/explosion caused by the battery :)

roy
 
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