It is thought that more than two million UK motorists are escaping prosecution despite driving cars that are untaxed and uninsured; with this number only set to rise.
Figures discovered by the Conservative party transport department, showed that the number of drivers evading tax had increased over the last decade by 63 per cent, yet the number of people facing prosecution stood only at half. They say that back in 1999 people driving without road tax faced a one in six chance of being caught compared to more recent figures of one in twenty.
A Tory party spokesperson said, “These figures are a shocking indictment of the Government’s truly hopeless record on dealing with rogue drivers. The Government needs to get a grip on this issue. What these stats highlight is that, under this Government, things have been getting steadily worse. Rogue drivers without tax or car insurance are a menace to other road users. The direct result of Labour’s incompetence in dealing with rogue drivers is that our roads are more dangerous.”
The Department for Transport estimate that the number of untaxed cars on Britain’s roads increased over ten years from 1.33 million to 2.17 million, yet the number of successful prosecutions for car tax offences over the same time fell by almost 50 per cent from 204,606 to 103,108.
Government ministers believe this led to a £79 million loss in revenue for the period 2007-2008 alone.
An increase in foreign drivers on the UK’s highways from EU countries, mainly from Eastern Europe, has been blamed for the hike in illegal motorists. Many documents needed to acquire a tax disc are not in order which MP’s believe has contributed to the number of untaxed and uninsured cars.
The Commons public accounts committee released a report describing the Governments record on road tax and car insurance as ‘poor’ adding that they were ‘losing ground’ in the fight against people avoiding these charges and risked becoming a ‘complete laughing stock’ as the situation span out of control.
Chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, Edward Leigh MP said, “Motorists and motorcyclists who refuse to pay road tax and insurance are stealing from law abiding taxpayers.”
The RAC Foundation claimed the figures should be a wake up call for better enforcement measures. Spokeswoman Sheila Rainger said, “Motorists driving without tax are also likely to be driving uninsured and without a MoT certificate. Responsible motorists are not only picking up the tab for evaders, they are also being put at risk by them. The Government needs to boost the number of traffic police carrying out on road crackdowns, so that the motoring underclass and the hardcore tax and insurance dodgers are the ones feeling the pressure, not the law abiding motorists.”
A Department for Transport spokesman revealed that, “The DVLA and this department, together with the police and local authorities, are determined to force tax and insurance evaders off the roads. We are targeting persistent evaders and seizing 100,000 unlicensed vehicles each year. New legislation will allow police, DVLA and local authorities to take action against unlicensed vehicles even if they are not parked on public roads.”
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