3 September 2001
ROAD TAX DODGERS TO BE TARGETED IN MAJOR CLAMPDOWN PLEDGES FOSTER
Three times as many people avoid paying motor tax in Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the UK. In fact, one in ten people here evade motor tax with a loss of £12 million - enough to renovate two schools, or re-stock new drugs for specialist patient care.
The DOE’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland (DVLNI), in conjunction with the RUC, are joining forces to launch a major clampdown against road tax dodgers.
Motorists throughout Northern Ireland who evade paying vehicle excise duty (VED) are to be targeted in a publicity campaign starting on Tuesday 4 September. Extensive radio, cinema, press and television advertising is designed to:
- encourage all motorists to check that their vehicles are properly licensed and, if not, to relicense them immediately.
- warn evaders that, from 17 September, the police will be intensifying their enforcement activity to ensure that vehicles are displaying current licence discs.
- alert evaders that DVLNI will be stepping up its existing wheelclamping/impounding operation and will be supported by further wheelclamping units, which will operate throughout Northern Ireland.
In launching the campaign, Mr Sam Foster, Minister of the Environment, said: "We are out to deter the evader with the threat of inconvenience, prosecution and large fines.
"We will not be penalising those whose licence discs have fallen off the windscreen or are a few days late renewing them. Before vehicles are clamped, details on the vehicle register will be checked with DVLNI. Law abiding motorists have nothing to fear.
"Being caught in this clampdown will certainly hit the pockets of road tax dodgers much harder than the cost of a vehicle excise licence. Honest motorists are fed up with the hard core evaders who continually evade paying their VED. All too often these vehicles are not insured or MOT tested either.
"I would like to remind the public that some MOT test centres are experiencing delays. People should apply well in advance for MOT tests. Remember that it is an offence to drive a vehicle on the road without it having passed the MOT. It is a danger to the driver, their passengers and other road users.
"I would like to thank the RUC for joining with DVLNI in mounting this campaign against road tax dodgers."
Mr Brendan Magee, Chief Executive of DVLNI, in endorsing the Minister’s comments said: "Since the launch of the wheelclamping scheme in Northern Ireland in January 1998, 2,000 motorists have been wheelclamped for not having a valid vehicle excise licence. In addition, 40,000 motorists have relicensed their vehicles voluntarily as a direct result of the wheelclamping scheme bringing in £4.6m in additional revenue.
"To date, over 400 motorists in Northern Ireland who have failed to retrieve their unlicensed vehicles from vehicle pounds, have had them crushed. Legislation allows DVLNI to dispose of such vehicles after five weeks."
In a combined effort to recover the millions of pounds lost every year through VED evasion, the police and the wheelclamping teams will be intensifying their enforcement activities. The police will also be on the look out for motorists committing other road safety and motoring offences.
Supporting the DOE’s clampdown, Superintendent Ian Hamill, head of the RUC’s Road Policing Development Branch, said: "Road safety and crime detection are the primary interests of the police in this area. The database of information in the motor tax system is invaluable to us in protecting and serving the people of Northern Ireland. It is vital that information is up-to-date and accurate.
"From the point of view of road safety, vehicles which have not been taxed are also likely to have no insurance and no vehicle test certificate. The implications for vehicle road worthiness should be clear to everyone.
"If a vehicle is stolen or used in a crime such as a robbery or a child abduction, the efforts of the police could well be hampered if the details of the registered owner are out of date because the vehicle hasn’t been taxed. So, make sure that your vehicle is taxed and if you sell it, give the DVLNI the details of the new owner."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. Minister of the Environment Mr Sam Foster MLA will launch the crackdown on motor tax evasion at 10.30am at Ravenhill Rugby Ground Belfast.
2. Thunderbirds legends Lady Penelope and Parker are being used to spearhead the campaign.
3. On display at Ravenhill will be the specially reconstructed Thunderbirds puppets Lady Penelope and Parker and the famous FAB 1 car – the only one of its type in the world. There will also be a wall of crushed cars symbolising the potential fate of unlicensed vehicles.
4. A roadside survey carried out in August 1999 revealed that the level of VED evasion in Northern Ireland is around 10%, equating to a revenue loss of £12m.
5. Campaigns are a valuable addition to the day-to-day enforcement action of the police, traffic wardens and DVTA against road tax dodgers. They also make a significant contribution to road safety. About a third of the reports arising from the campaigns involve other offences – including no seat belt, no MOT certificate, no insurance and defective tyres. During 2000/01, in Northern Ireland over 15,400 cases of VED evasion were successfully completed resulting in the recovery of £1.8 million.
6. Not having a current licence disc is illegal and could be expensive. Offenders face a fine of up to £1,000 for a private car or motorcycle and up to £23,000 for a heavy goods vehicle. In addition to paying a fine, convicted offenders will have to pay backduty from the date the vehicle was last licensed, together with costs.
7. The national wheelclamping scheme was launched in London August 1997 and is operated by Sureway Parking Services Ltd in conjunction with DVLA. The scheme involves contract-clamping teams seeking out vehicles on the public road that are not properly taxed. Motorists must pay a fee of £80 to release the wheelclamp, or a £160 impounding fee plus £15 per day storage if the vehicle remains unclaimed for more than 24 hours. In addition, offenders must produce a current licence disc or a surety payment against obtaining one. The surety is forfeit if no licence is produced within 14 days. Vehicles left unclaimed after 5 weeks will be scrapped or sold at auction. To date, throughout the United Kingdom, over 65,000 unlicensed vehicles have been wheelclamped and as a direct result of the scheme, over 353,000 motorists have voluntarily relicensed their vehicles bringing in £42 million which might otherwise have been lost.
8. In Northern Ireland, 80% of vehicles wheelclamped are reclaimed and all fees paid compared to around 40% in GB.
9. For further media information please contact Paddy Murphy DOE Press Office Tel 028 9054 0003.