The vast majority of UK drivers have the little coloured disc in the corner of the windscreen, but Government figures out this week suggest not everyone is playing ball and the problem is getting worse. The report says evasion of Vehicle Excise Duty – the posh name for road tax – has got worse in the last three years. Official estimates put the total at around 307,000 vehicles, which is up 82,000 in the last three years,. It’s only 0.8 per cent of the total but it’s putting a

£46 million hole in public finances.

For car breakdowns it can also be an issue if you need the services of your vehicle breakdown operator. Transportation of stranded vehicles without a tax disc will be rejected by breakdown providers as the vehicle is deemed as illegal.

I imagine part of the problem is forgetfulness. The DVLA makes it as easy as possible for you by sending you a reminder letter when your tax disc is due for replacement. But why don’t we have direct debit system in place? You have your car, you’re not planning on selling it, so you say to the DVLA: “Here’s my bank details. Take the money monthly/annually until I tell you otherwise, and send me a new tax disc when I need it.” If we can do it for TV licensing we can sure do it for car licensing!

I was chatting to senior people at a motoring organisation about this and they’re in favour of it. They say anything that makes it easier for drivers to pay has got to be a good thing. But they also know why it’s not going to happen. They work closely with the DVLA and say the bottom line is it’s got no money to set such a system up.