What is a Tax Disk?

[Beans]

Well the road tax for my TR7's is free, sadly my little Landy isn't
My TR7's are both insured on a full coverage.
Milage is limited to 7500 km per car per year, but with two car's that's no problem.
Cost depends on the valuation of the car, but is around €35,- a month

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1981 TR7 DHC (not very well known yet, but back on the road)
Also a 1980 TR7 DHC, 1980 TR7 DHC FI, 1981 TR7 FHC
http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="blue"></center>

[jeffremj]

Hmm, it seems that no country has the perfect system [:)] As the Oz system doesn't cater for 3rd party damage to cars etc., it would be 'foolish' (IMO) to go without a topup - you only need to hit a Porsche and be paying out for years to come.

In 'my' system, all third party costs and 'road tax' would be paid for through fuel tax - it is so easy to gather! A ballpark figure would be around one pound sterling per gallon. All a car needs now is a registered keeper and a roadworthiness certificate. In the UK we have the MOT stations that link directly to the government. If the car passes the yearly test a 'tax disk' could be sent to the registered keeper's address for future display. The final (?) link is a licensed driver.

Fully comprehensive would still be available via existing insurers to protect your own car.

The beauty of this system is that it removes the government's ability to penalise the choice of car ownership - new small cars good, old big cars (like ours) bad etc. It is also notionally 'green' in that the more fuel you use the more tax you pay. It also brings more people into legality - in the UK, alot of young drivers start off their car ownership career illegally - no insurance as it is too expensive.

I still have a nagging doubt that am missing something, as no government uses such a 'simple' system.

[Red]

As someone who spent a year in Oz (QLD) as well as my time over here, I can say that both systems have their strengths and weaknesses.

I found the QLD roadworthiness system a little weird - as Hasbeen suggested, it is perfectly possible for a road legal car to have not seen the inside of a garage for years on end!

The compulsory CTP insurance seems a good idea on the face of it, but I'd guess it does mean that some people are driving around on the most basic insurance, that doesn't even cover property damage.

The weakness with the UK system is with the registration plates that stay with the car for its life - no way to easily tell if the car is taxed etc. Not too bad now everything is computerised, but still a weak point, I think.

I had a different experience with random breath tests in Oz - I was once pulled over three times in the space of about 4 kilometres and tested (around Christmas), not once were any of my details checked, in fact I never even had to get out of the car! Blow in the tube, green light - on your way again. Nice and simple.

That said, that was nearly six years ago now, so I expect a few things may have changed.

Garry

1976 2.0 (soon to be 3.5!)FHC
http://reds-tr7.blogspot.com/

[Ferris]

This will probably sound hard headed, but the less the government is involved with me or my cars, the better. I can't imagine having to deal with some beaureacrat for insurance!

The only things I want them doing is setting the minimum standards, and ensuring compliance by revoking driver licenses and plates.



------------------------
Kevin Anderson
1980 TR7 DHC
1974.5 MGB GT
1990 Jaguar XJ40

[tipo158]

Since it hasn't been mentioned, I'll note that here is the US, every state is different.

Some states require both front and rear plates. Some just require a rear plate. In my experience, most states do not collect a road tax per se. They collect a tax on, for example, the value of the vehicle or the weight of the vehicle or they collect a registration fee or some combination of these.

Vehicle registration normally grants use of the road. Proof of registration is either a decal for the license plate (sometimes both front and rear) or a window decal. There is also paperwork that is carried in the car that needs to be available if you get pulled over.

Most, if not all, states require auto insurance, but most states do not require proof of insurance to renew registration. The insurance requirements vary from state to state. Most states just require a minimum (low) level of liability insurance. A few states have something called 'no fault' insurance that covers you in an accident and limits going after the other guy's insurance. Normally third party insurance is purchased, but sometimes individuals or companies will self-insure. Lots of people drive around with no insurance.

Some states require an vehicle inspection, but most don't. Most states have some form of emissions testing. Federal environmental rules require that emissions testing be done on vehicles in "non-compliance" areas, usually larger cities because the larger concentration of vehicles there result in the air quality being out of compliance (i.e., too much smog). Usually this testing is done every other year, but new cars are usually exempt from emissions testing for the first five years. Older vehicles are usually exempt. When emissions testing is done, passing the test is a requirement for registration or transferring ownership.

alan

[jclay (RIP 2018)]

Texas requires a front plate which is not good for the TR7/8s. I believe that it is required not for identification purposes but because of it's reflective coating. This coating reflects the wavelengths from radar guns much better than the car. The State law forbiding any covering over the plates adds credence to my belief.

[saabfast]

I have long been an advocate of putting the 'Road Tax' onto the fuel cost in the UK. It seems to me this would be much fairer, the older people who only use a car for shopping once a week would not pay a lot, the rep who uses the road a lot and those with big gas guzzling cars would pay more - and I would not have to pay £185 a year in a lump for 1000 miles in the TR7! (But then 10-12k in the saab would probably cost more).
Insurance is turning into an odd one here. For some reason it is often cheaper to get fully comp than TPFT (as my 18 year old son has just found with his Mini)! However, much as i like the idea of the state collecting insurance in a similar way on fuel (and it would probably be fair in a similar way), standards would probably slip as people would not be worried about claiming unless some compulsory top up/penalty system was applied, which would become a typical beauracratic high (stealth) tax mess (particularly with the unelected idiot we have in charge at the moment - who can't drive!).

Alan
Saab 9000 Stg 1
'81 TR7 DHC

[Odd]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> Texas requires a front plate which is not good for the TR7/8s. I believe that it is required not for identification purposes but because of it's reflective coating. This coating reflects the wavelengths from radar guns much better than the car. The State law forbiding any covering over the plates adds credence to my belief. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> Jay, I hung my front plate on a hinge under the rear of the front bumper
- it doesn't reflect anything above roughly 50-55kph (31-34mph) [:D]

<font color="red"><b>My two 1980 Wedges...</b></font id="red">

[bmcecosse]

In the UK the Road Fund Tax is free for cars built before 31 December 1972 - not 73 as stated earlier. There used to be a rolling 25 year old rule - but Gordon Clown stopped that many years ago - hence my 1981 TR7 although now 27 years old costs me £110 for 6 months on the road use. My 1965 Morris Traveller costs nothing!!