TV Road Tax Advert - Paul531
Hi Backroomers,

A couple of years ago, there was an advert on my local radio station, using a re-worded version of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang song - 'our road tax dodging friend' or was it fiend?

I e-mailed the radio station and the DVLA to inform them that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is exempt from road tax ? so the advert was something of a nonsense {though Chitty would need to display a tax exempt / historic vehicle disc ? which is free}.

Neither replied, but the advert soon stopped, I assumed that they had seen the light? ? ? ? ? ?

In the film, Chitty first entered the 1901 {approx} Grand Prix.

Even the film was made in the late 60s {?67?}, so cars made for the film will be tax exempt too.

Some bloke in Lancashire {was in the national newspapers} has recently built a replica of chitty chitty bang bang - this may have to pay road tax??

But now, the government has spent a fortune {no doubt} producing and putting on air a TV advert - which still implies that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang should pay road tax. How long has the advert been running? Such TV ads can cost many £1,000s per second at peak times?

Are they daft, or am I missing something!!!!

More proof, if proof were needed,

The government / local councils even fine greengrocers for quoting prices of fruit and veg in pounds rather than kgs.

Yet Gordon Brown's baby is too, apparently, weighed only in pounds and ounces - no mention of kgs.

Anyway, back to cars - why not abolish road tax all together, put it on fuel instead - then those who drive the most / drive large engined cars, pay the most? Saves queuing at the post office every twelve months, and why not have an insurance disc in the windscreen ? a third party?s lack of insurance is more of a worry when he crashers into you than is his lack of tax disk?

Ditto MoT, an MoT disk in the window would go someway to keeping unsafe cars off the road, something the road tax disc does not.

Paul {Forest of Bowland}
TV Road Tax Advert - Doc

why not abolish road tax all
together, put it on fuel instead - then those who drive
the most / drive large engined cars, pay the most? >>



The trouble with doing away with Road Tax is that this would lead to many vehicles being abandoned on the road at the end of their useful life, and the authorities could do nothing about it.

Road Tax discourages multiple vehicle ownership where the owner has no off-road accommodation.

Ditto MoT, an MoT disk in the window would go someway
to keeping unsafe cars off the road, something the road tax
disc does not.


You need an MOT before you can get a Road Tax Disc....
TV Road Tax Advert - Paul531
Hi Doc

good points re road tax - not considered them before !!!!!

but they still need to buy the car in the first place.

Do you not need to insure a car to park it on the public highway - road tax aside for the moment ?

However still think the advert is a bit daft.

Perhaps if gov' paid the owner say £100 to scrap a car, then none {or far fewer?} would be abandoned, saving money overall?
Paul {Forest of Bowland}
TV Road Tax Advert - Doc
>>>>
Do you not need to insure a car to park it
on the public highway - road tax aside for the moment


Yes you do!!
TV Road Tax Advert - king arthur
>> Ditto MoT, an MoT disk in the window would go
someway
>> to keeping unsafe cars off the road, something the road
tax
>> disc does not.
>>
You need an MOT before you can get a Road Tax
Disc....


That may be true, but the MOT only has to be valid at the time the road tax starts from, therefore it is quite easy to have a vehicle that displays a valid tax disc that does not have a current MOT.
TV Road Tax Advert - J Bonington Jagworth
"Gordon Brown's baby is too, apparently, weighed only in pounds and ounces"

As was Leo Blair. I expect if you asked them how economical their cars were, they would quote mpg, too (assuming they knew, of course). I daresay GB is partial to a 'wee dram', although his distiller would probably be closed down if it tried to sell him one!
-------------------------------
Illegitimi non carborundum!
TV Road Tax Advert - GrumpyOldGit
'The trouble with doing away with Road Tax is that this would lead to many vehicles being abandoned on the road at the end of their useful life, and the authorities could do nothing about it.'

Sorry, but I don't understand why. The owner would still need proof of ownership to get insurance and MoT so why would more vehicles be abandoned? The authorities would still have the same ability (or lack of) to track the last registered keeper as they do today using the VIN.

'Road Tax discourages multiple vehicle ownership where the owner has no off-road accommodation.'

As long as those vehicles are legal and properly parked I don't see a problem. We can do that now, have as many vehicles as we like and park them on the road. In this imaginary no-tax future, if a particular collection became a nuisance then any breach of the law could be dealt with.

I'd also like to see the current road tax replaced by adding a charge to fuel. At least then no one could get away without paying, and everyone would pay for their amount of road use. It seems a fairer system on the face of it, but there are probably things I haven't thought of.
TV Road Tax Advert - Doc
>> 'The trouble with doing away with Road Tax is that this
would lead to many vehicles being abandoned on the road at
the end of their useful life, and the authorities could do
nothing about it.'
Sorry, but I don't understand why. >>


How would the authorities know the vehicle is not legal?
If a tax disc were not required, there would be no indication that the vehicle was in use or not.
The present system at least ensures a yearly check on insurance and MOT.


'Road Tax discourages multiple vehicle ownership where the owner has no
off-road accommodation.'
As long as those vehicles are legal and properly parked I
don't see a problem.



In this small island there is a finite amount of space!

TV Road Tax Advert - v8man
Why are you all so keen to see more tax on petrol. Just abolish the Road Fund Licence. We pay to much tax as it is!The insurance disc is a good idea and does prove that the car is being used legally.
TV Road Tax Advert - Bromptonaut
Hi Backroomers,
A couple of years ago, there was an advert on my
local radio station, using a re-worded version of the Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang song - 'our road tax dodging friend' or was
it fiend?
I e-mailed the radio station and the DVLA to inform them
that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is exempt from road tax ?
so the advert was something of a nonsense {though Chitty would
need to display a tax exempt / historic vehicle disc
? which is free}.


Good sport looking for these oddities in adverts. Used to be one for Wrigley's chewing gum (sales point was it helped you concentrate)starts on flight deck of airliner on appraoch in thick fog, four throttle levers clearly visible. Cut to exterior scene of three engined Trident as it breaks cloud dead on the centre line. Only spoiled the message for pedants in the know!!!