The law is clear – you must tax your vehicle if you’re using it or keeping it on a public road. If you’re keeping the vehicle off the road, it must either be taxed or have a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). You must tax your vehicle, even if you do not have to pay anything.

Motorists who do not tax their vehicle can face financial penalties, court action and the risk of having their vehicles clamped or impounded. While more than 98% of vehicles are correctly taxed, it’s right that DVLA takes action against those who continue to break the law and evade taxing their vehicle.

As National Wheelclamping and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Manager, I manage a strategic DVLA contract that aims to reduce evasion through wheelclamping and ANPR activity. Our enforcement teams travel around the UK as part of our day-to-day activities and work closely with local authorities and police forces, who can be given devolved powers to remove untaxed vehicles from our roads.

Earlier this year, as part of the agency’s long-term strategy to keep vehicle tax evasion low, DVLA’s Communications team launched a campaign with a clear message to evaders – untaxed vehicles are ‘hard to hide, easy to tax’. To support the campaign, I travelled with our wheelclamping partners and press team to some of the areas in the UK with the highest evasion levels. Here’s what we got up to…

Hitting the road

We recently visited Birmingham, Reading, Leeds and Swansea this month, where there were a combined 99,796 enforcement actions taken last year. These included fines, penalties and clamping.

As part of the campaign, we organised media opportunities around our usual wheelclamping operations undertaken by NSL on behalf of DVLA. These wheelclamping operations were an opportunity to highlight the risks for motorists in their local area and remind motorists of the real risk if their vehicles are untaxed.

This is the first campaign I’ve been involved with, so I undertook media training to prepare for questions from journalists. It was certainly an intense but enjoyable experience, thanks to the support of the agency’s press team.

Each wheelclamping operation involved journalists and photographers attending the wheelclamping pound, managed by the press team. I showed them around the facility and answered questions about how our operations are undertaken. They got to see untaxed vehicles returning following an impoundment, before heading out to find an untaxed vehicle to observe a clamping in action.

So, what did we find?

We took enforcement action against several vehicles, in all 4 areas we visited. A car was clamped on a neighbourhood street, while another was towed away and impounded. In another case, we identified an untaxed vehicle in a car park using our ANPR data. The vehicle was clamped, and a warning of impoundment was issued to the driver.

This is a typical day for our enforcement teams and wheelclamping partners who, last year, took 360,655 enforcement actions across 12 of the highest evading areas in the UK. It only reinforces our message of ‘hard to hide, easy to tax’. So why risk it?

Looking forward, we will continue to take action against untaxed vehicles by carrying out computerised and roadside checks. Part of my role is also to manage our Devolved Partners Power Scheme, which will continue to support a range of local authorities to deliver enforcement activities on our behalf.

Tax it, don’t risk it

Taxing your vehicle is always the easiest and cheapest option. It’s never been easier to tax your vehicle, so use GOV.UK to check if your vehicle is taxed. If you need to tax your vehicle, you can do so quickly and securely online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can even pay by Direct Debit to spread the cost of your vehicle tax.

So help spread the word to your family and friends – tax it, don’t risk it!

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• UK TRA proposes anti-dumping measures on Cold Rolled Flat Steel from China and Russia be kept for a further five years
• 40-50% of UK market for Cold Rolled Flat Steel is made up of domestic production
• Downstream businesses have a combined turnover of £685m per year

In its initial findings, the UK’s Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has today (31 March 2022) proposed that existing measures on imports of Cold Rolled Flat Steel from China and Russia be maintained.

The TRA’s provisional findings, contained in the Statements of Essential Facts (SEF), would mean that this UK industry, predominantly based in South Wales, continues to be protected from dumped products from China and Russia. A 30-day period for comments is now open.

Following a transition review, the TRA has recommended that anti-dumping measures be kept on certain Cold Rolled Flat Steel products from China and Russia.

Cold Rolled Flat Steel is used in the manufacture of parts for the automotive industry and domestic appliances, as well as other goods. It can be found in such consumer products as radiators, steel drums, domestic appliances, racking, shelving and metal furniture.

The UK market for Cold Rolled Flat Steel includes 40-50% made domestically. The remainder of UK demand is met by imports.

A large proportion of sales are made through steel service centres that carry out processing to meet customer requirements. The remaining sales are direct to generally large customers in the automotive, construction and engineering sectors.

The TRA identified between 50 to 100 downstream Cold Rolled Flat Steel customers, across a wide range of businesses. During 2019, these selected downstream businesses employed at least 1,652 people and had a combined turnover of £685 million.

However, the industry is currently vulnerable, due in part to raw material prices, the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term economic trends and energy costs. The TRA received submissions arguing that if dumping were to occur again, imports would be likely to cause further significant injury.

The TRA has therefore recommended that the measures on Cold Rolled Flat Steel be maintained at their current levels until 5 August 2026 – that is five years subsequent to the date when the measure would have expired (5 August 2021) had no transition review been initiated.

Following today’s publication, there will be a 30-day period in which interested parties can comment on the report. Comments can be submitted by Interested Parties to the TRA via the Trade Remedies Service website.

The TRA will then consider and produce a Final Recommendation, which will be sent to the Secretary of State for International Trade who will make the final decision on whether to uphold the TRA’s recommendation.

The findings set out in this SEF do not include consideration of how the Russian invasion of Ukraine and associated sanctions could affect future imports as the situation is still unfolding and the overall impact upon this product is unclear. Interested parties are invited to make contributions before the final recommendation including in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and associated sanctions.

Notes to Editors

• The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the independent UK body, established in June 2021, as the first non-departmental public body of the Department for International Trade, that investigates whether trade remedy measures are needed to counter unfair import practices and unforeseen surges of imports.
• Read more about the TRA’s mission in its Business Plan.
• Anti-dumping duties allow a country or union to take action against goods sold at less than their normal value, which is defined as the price for ‘like goods’ sold in the exporter’s home market.
• Trade remedy investigations were carried out by the EU Commission on the UK’s behalf until the UK left the EU. Forty-four EU trade remedy measures of interest to UK producers were carried across into UK law when the UK left the EU and the TRA is currently reviewing each one to assess whether it is suitable for UK needs.

• Household Support Fund doubled to £1 billion with £500 million of new funding, as government goes further to support families with cost of living
• Six-month extension will help most vulnerable households deal with rising cost of essentials
• People can continue to access support through their Local Authority, ensuring those most in need get the help available

Today’s bolstered fund will continue to target the most vulnerable households and individuals, having helped thousands of families since its launch in September.

A third of the funding will be ring-fenced to support families with children, while another third will be dedicated to pensioners. This ensures the people who need it most will continue to receive vital support to meet essential household costs.

Using their local knowledge, Local Authorities will determine how to best use the remainder of the fund within the scope set out by ministers. Previous funding has supported households with food, clothing, energy and water costs, and this extension will ensure that this support continues through to the autumn.

Thérèse Coffey, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said:

We have always provided help to those who need it and extending this fund is another commitment to support people with the cost of living.

We know the pressures many are currently facing, especially pensioners and families with children, which is why this fund targets support to the most vulnerable households across the country.

Of the £500 million, the devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula. This brings the total Household Support Fund allocations for the devolved administrations to £82 million for the Scottish Government, £50 million for the Welsh Government and £28 million for the Northern Ireland Executive. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate this additional funding.

This fund is part of £22 billion of support provided in 2022-23 to help families with the cost of living and to ensure people keep more of their money. This includes changes to the Universal Credit taper rate and work allowances worth £1,000 extra on average for working families, and an increase in National Insurance thresholds. It also includes help for energy costs through a cut to fuel duty and the £9.1 billion Energy Rebate. And from tomorrow (1 April 2022), the National Living Wage will be rising to £9.50 an hour, providing a timely boost to the lowest paid.

If you want to find out what help is available in your area through the Household Support Fund, contact your local council. You can locate your council using the GOV.UK council finder.

Further information

The extension will run for six months to the end of September 2022, following on directly from the previous funding.

Media enquiries for this press release – 0115 965 8781

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