LAND OF EVASION...
Friday, January 2, 2009 at 10:52AM Interested to read that motor tax evasion is three and a half times higher in Northern Ireland than in the re
st of the UK. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the police has launched a 'Operation Evader', focusing on vehicles untaxed for more than 28 days. More than 300 unlicensed vehicles were clamped in a two-week pilot period in Belfast in September. (Belfast is a big city so I would like to know where exactly in Belfast) New legislation introduced in October means that cars can be clamped or removed in any public place.
I'm all for effective law enforcement but I wonder about the precise geographical split of where this massive evasion occurs. I travel most days along a dual carriageway which seems to have a permanent fixed patrol clocking those cars without motor tax discs displayed. Fair enough. But I wonder if there are perhaps certain "politically sensitive" areas where the reach of law does not quite extend. After all, we know that when it comes to TV licenses, there is a dimension to evasion that rather follows political lines - might this apply to car tax also?
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Reader Comments (13)
BT11, BT12, BT35 and BT80 perhaps?
A recent Bradford Telegraph and Argus report showed that BD3 has one of the highest levels of untaxed cars of any postcode in the UK.
Wonder why West Yorkshire police don't launch a crackdown there. Pakis perhaps?
I look forward to seeing the camera cars in Shantallow, Creggan, Brandwell, Bogside and Gobnascale areas of Londonderry, where many cars aren't taxed, nor indeed TVs licenced. But that is unlikely I suspect !!
William,
In which case that means the State discriminates against the law abiding.
Nope, never spotted one of the camera cars at the bottom of the Falls or Shankill Rds either. One sits on the Shore Road, all day, last day of every month though.
Belfast is a big city so I would like to know where exactly in Belfast
Yes, they should name and shame the areas involved rather than tarnish the whole city. Bet they won't though.
ILUVNI, I drive around the country as part of my job and yes you do get the Motor Tax evasion vehicles and cars clamped for motor tax evasion on the Shankill, you also get parking attendants on the Shankill, you also get mobile speed traps in other loyalist areas of west and north Belfast. However I have yet to see a motor tax evasion vehicle or mobile speed traps in west Belfast, and let’s not forget there were death threats to parking attendants in nationalist west Belfast.
So what can we deduce for this, the PSNI only target areas were they know they are not likely to encounter nationalists, and west Belfast is like the wild west? I would not drive in west Belfast in my private vehicle.
>>Yes, they should name and shame the areas involved rather than tarnish the whole city. Bet they won't though.<<
But why should they feed bigots like you lot?
Because of course the question would be resolved for you if they named, say, the Ardoyne and West Belfast as areas with a high rate of involvement, wouldn't it?
I bet then there would be no whining about "oooh, now they're tarnishing the whole district instead of naming and shaming the streets/individuals involved"!
Noel
It is not bigoted to ask for details of where the offenders have been caught. It happens when other car crime is reported, such as vehicle thefts.
As to naming individuals, why not? The Republic publishes the names of income tax-dodgers, which I think is commendable.
>>As to naming individuals, why not? <<
Why then did you ask for the districts to be named?
You know better than I do that in Belfast the district is part and parcel of the sectarian debate.
As even the first few comments on this thread show once more!
A stunning refusal from some to recognise that not all are equal under the law, and we all know why.
Some interesting comments above.
I had no idea that Kethlics were more likely to not pay their motor tax. Does this make me some sort of Uncle Tom (for paying)?
I remember a one time barman didnt have a job for years on end, never to my knowledge called in for a Restart interview?
I agree, they should publish the areas it might stop sectarian speculation such as the above.
I travel most days along a dual carriageway which seems to have a permanent fixed patrol clocking those cars without motor tax discs displayed.
So are you suggesting that is the only reason people in your locality pay their taxes?
Nationalist areas were heavily policed in the past (checkpoints at most routes in and out of a town), so I would imagine motor tax evasion would have been quite difficult in those days. Of course with the IT systems now in place in Britain - evasion there is nigh on impossible.
I've noticed on my travels a much more visible and normal police presence in border areas (speed checks and the like).
It should also be noted that the Gardai can now hand out penalty points to Nordie drivers driving untaxed (or un-MOT'd) cars in the south. There are huge numbers of Nordies, living in the south, driving Nordie registered cars illegally. Many (most) of which won't be taxed (will show up in British government databases despite the car being outside the state). So if there are people using the border to avoid paying taxes, their days are numbered (the company that runs the British tracking system has won the contract to implement the same system in Ireland).