OV9

They could. No reason to try to improve things. Best keep things like they are.

DeskJockey wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:03 pm Just taxed the Zoe for another year. I can't but wonder if there's a better way than to print and send a notification letter for a £0 payment. Couldn't the system just automatically renew any car tax where the value is £0?

The cynic in me thinks it’s just another excuse to fine anyone who forgets or assumes they don’t need to bother when their car costs zero.

DeskJockey wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:15 pm They could. No reason to try to improve things. Best keep things like they are.

you're talking about the DVLA. You want them to spend public money to mess about with a perfectly good system that works, just because you don't want to fill in a form that costs you no money each year and helps them keep track of how many cars are on/off the road in a simple consistent way.

It works - be thankful that it's a system that actually works. Go and look at the NHS's computer systems if you want to fix things - their systems are fucked.

How much would it cost to implement the change compared to the cost of printing and posting a letter to every owner of a qualifying vehicle every year?

If the vehicle is SORN you still need to tell them. Not really a good reason to not try to improve a service.

NHS IT is a different kettle of fish, but it isn't an either or situation. Both can be improved.

DeskJockey wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:29 pm How much would it cost to implement the change compared to the cost of printing and posting a letter to every owner of a qualifying vehicle every year?

Going purely on the cost of other government IT projects, somewhere around £15-20 billion?

Also more complications to consider. Say you fail your MOT, tax no longer automatically renews, then you pass it eventually however you don't even have a letter with the code so you can retax. Are you then going to go online and apply to get sent a letter and thus have an untaxed car for a few days (or weeks depending on how much of a toss the DVLA give) until you get a letter with the code?

Rich B wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:44 pm

DeskJockey wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:29 pm How much would it cost to implement the change compared to the cost of printing and posting a letter to every owner of a qualifying vehicle every year?

Going purely on the cost of other government IT projects, somewhere around £15-20 billion?

If tax = £0
Don’t print letter
Else
Print letter
End if

I don’t think it would run into the billions.

It’s only zero tax for another 2 years so no point doing it now

https://www.carwow.co.uk/news/6492/elec ... lsrc=aw.ds

240PP wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:21 pm

Rich B wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:44 pm

DeskJockey wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:29 pm How much would it cost to implement the change compared to the cost of printing and posting a letter to every owner of a qualifying vehicle every year?

Going purely on the cost of other government IT projects, somewhere around £15-20 billion?

If tax = £0
Don’t print letter
Else
Print letter
End if

I don’t think it would run into the billions.

That's just the letter piece - don't forget the process to automatically renew the Tax of the vehicle for another year - that's at least another £10 billion

Only if the supplying company owner is a mate of a minister and/or generous donor to the Tory party.

dinny_g wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 9:28 am

240PP wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:21 pm

Rich B wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:44 pm Going purely on the cost of other government IT projects, somewhere around £15-20 billion?

If tax = £0
Don’t print letter
Else
Print letter
End if

I don’t think it would run into the billions.

That's just the letter piece - don't forget the process to automatically renew the Tax of the vehicle for another year - that's at least another £10 billion

I misunderstood the complexity. Shall we call it a grand?

Is the tax still £0 if you use an EV for commercial purposes - say as a Taxi ?

I see Tesla are cutting prices to drive more sales. That'll go down well with existing owners.

About time, I reckon the arse is about to blow out of everything soon enough, well this year at least. Enough of the silly price rises and profiteering on everything and back to more normal times.

A desperate attempt to try and make money as other manufacturers aren’t going to keep buying carbon credits off them when their own ev ranges start outselling ic ones.

With the current cut in price they’ll have to sell 3x as many cars to make the same profit. I don’t think a 20% discount will lead to a 300% increase in sales.
Maybe they’re just at the point where it’s easier to keep manufacturing rather than shutting the factory and the resulting share price tanking even more. So they’ll just keep making them and somehow trying to sell them at any price.

Wonder how much cost/corner cutting will be implemented to keep the margins healthy.

I expect part of it is trying to do an iPhone, and tie as many people into the Tesla ecosystem as possible while they’re still the most viable option for a lot of people.

I expect all the cheap locations (presumably old petrol stations that couldn't compete against a nearby competitor?) have been snapped up by now? It'll be lot harder for someone else to catch up with Tesla now.