John Stafford
Ceist:230 Mr. Stafford asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider directing all local authorities to issue road tax discs for periods not exceeding the expiry date of the relevant car insurance certificate.
Written Answers. - Road Tax Discs.
I do not favour requiring tax discs, in effect, to expire around the same time as insurance certificates. This option was considered and rejected in the Fifth Report of the Commission of Taxation (1985) and the report of the Prices Advisory Committee on the cost and methods of providing motor insurance (1982). It would inconvenience law-abiding motorists who wish to split the timing of their tax and insurance payments, for financial reasons, and it would be unlikely to have any significant effect on insurance evasion. Separate discs, which must be displayed on motor vehicles windscreens, cite the dates of expiry of insurance and motor tax.