Dear Editor,
Some years ago I had a conversation with the Receiver concerning the annual number plates. My question to her was, why we go through the expenses of ordering plates and take law enforcement officers away from their normal duties to do something that in today’s world of communication makes no sense.
All you need is one person with “WhatsApp” on their phone and everybody knows exactly where not to pass.
On the other hand, the receiver has the vehicle database and knows exactly who has paid and who has not, where they live and where they work.
It’s a lot cheaper and far more effective for the marshals to deliver, just like any other tax summons, a reminder with the usual warning to come and pay within two weeks or else.
The police are understaffed, we know that but we still take them away from their already difficult job to do something the Tax Office should be doing.
When someone owes income or turnover taxes you don’t send the police to collect.
The idea that the police are more intimidating is of the past.
Let’s get serious, you don’t have the money to order stickers.
You have no way of controlling who pays unless you go into the vehicle database.
Already for 2018 a lot of people found ways not to pay road tax.
We have a lot of people driving around with a “W” on their vehicle, which, by the way, is illegal. Don’t make matters worse by allowing them to use last year’s number plate with a sticker.
We have a road tax to collect, we have tax marshals to hand out summonses to collect tax.
Why pay to make stickers, when will they get here? How much more do people have to pay for these stickers? Those that elect not to buy this year’s plates, will they have to pay more than those that do pay for this year’s plate?
How many stickers, that’s another question.
It’s good to think outside of the box to try and solve problems, but don’t go too far outside of the box. We have the ways and means already. The wheel is already there, use it.
Arrundell
