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Tax dodgers on the rise
(20-07-07) - The number of motorists evading car and motorbike tax has risen sharply in the past year, costing taxpayers an estimated £217 million a year according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
Motorbike tax evasion is the biggest problem at the moment, with one in three not paying it, and with evaders particularly good at avoiding being caught. The NAO said that an “underclass” of tax dodgers were a big part of the problem with many of them using the vehicles for illegal purposes.
Despite a long-running drive to cut tax avoidance to one in 40, numbers of offenders continue to grow, currently standing at one in 20 for cars and motorbikes.
The NAO report also admitted that more than 60 per cent of those who failed to pay fines were not pursued any further, either through the courts or bailiffs.
Chris Eagle, BreakdownChoices.co.uk commercial manager, said: “The ‘underclass’ of offenders that the NAO speaks of no doubt knows that fines are rarely pursued or that they’re even likely to be caught in the first place. This is costing tax payers a phenomenal amount each year.”
Sir John Bourn, the head of the NAO, said: “I was concerned last year that the significantly higher rates of VED (vehicle excise duty) evasion by motorcyclists might undermine confidence in the DVLA’s enforcement regime. My concern is even stronger this year, given the sharp jump in the evasion by motorcyclists, and by motorists more generally.
“It must be brought home to persistent non-payers of VED, whether motorcyclists or car drivers, that they will sooner or later be subject to enforcement action.”
An investigation has been launched to find out the reason for this year’s substantial increase.
