03 January 2007

Rewards For Not Being In The System - Part 3234

When I return to the UK, it will make sense for me to buy a car registered on the continent. This car can probably be purchased, taxed, insured and serviced at a cheaper cost on the Continent than in the UK. I imagine that I would be insulated against further road tax rises, escalating British insurance premiums (mainly due to lack of enforcement/action against uninsured drivers) and the annual requirement to have an MOT. I might also benefit from the fact that speed camera traps photos and fixed penalty parking notices that fell from the windscreen and blew away wouldn't be followed up on.

I've always been UK insured, taxed, serviced etc in the past, but the benefits of being outside the system seem much greater - and judging by the number of Polish registered cars I see when I'm in the UK, I'm not alone in making this judgement.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good point but i think they are tightening up on the fine dodging loophole . DT this week .

( I did not set up the links)

Honest

Praguetory said...

They are always "tightening up". They tighten up on people in the system. Call the police or the DVLA about an untaxed vehicle and I believe they point at each other.

Anonymous said...

But whe Gordon realises how much money he is missing out on you can bet he will close the loopholes pretty damm quick.

On a different note wouldn't THIS be great if it was true

Praguetory said...

Cheers Buster. I've put it in my diary. Beaton's doing a good job, isn't he?

Praguetory said...

I'm expecting another embarassing film about Labour to come out in the next few months, too. I'll reciprocate once I have more details.

Snafu said...

You will also be able to avoid road-pricing! Presumably, the Government will be unable to avoid this absurd situation due to EU rules on the free movement of goods and people...

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with the MOT test? As the ownwer of a Company which is a registered test station I would consider it essential to have some form of annual inspection of road-going vehicles.
As for the number of Polish, Latvian and other EU registered cars on UK roads: I can only speak about East Anglia, where there are many such unregistered - and uninsured - vehicles and many accidents involving them as they are so poorly maintained.
The Czech MOT equivalent is bi-annual and perfunctory and may be a contributing factor to the high accident rate, one of if not the highest in Europe.

Praguetory said...

Nothing wrong with MOTs etc and yours is a good point. By hammering people within the UK system/ignoring those not within the system I have no doubt that we are reducing road safety. Foreign drivers should need to demonstrate our level of roadworthiness before entering the country and whilst in it.