DVLA and Road Tax Refunds - Do they know what they are doing?

[Simon7685]

I am in receipt of DLA and because of receiving the high rate of the mobility componenet I am entitled to free Road Tax on my vehicle. Whilst I know I am lucky to get this and the majority of people have to pay theirs, I do still think that I have the right to be annoyed over this!

 

My previous DLA award ran out in June 2009, the same time as my tax. There was a delay in my DLA finally being re-awrded in Jan 2010, although it was backdated to run from the time the previous award finished.

 

In June 2009 I discovered that to renew my road tax, I had to go to a DVLA office to do it because it meant changing the taxation class from disabled to normal, obviously this cost me money as I had to travel to one. I duly did this and forked out £145 to tax my vehicle for 12 months.

 

When my DLA was renewed in January, I received the papaerwork and went to the post office to get my new tax disc. You can change the taxation class to disabled at the post office but not from disabled, why that is I don't understand. Anyway they issued me with a 12 months tax disc and took the V5 from me to send off to get the taxation class changed back to disabled. At the same time I applied for a refund on my old tax disc that I had paid for back in June last year.

 

Now because of the way they do it and despite my DLA being classed as continuous I can still only receive a refund from the date I apply for the refund, which means in I have to pay for my tax from 1st July to 31st January 2010.

 

DVLA have now written to me, they say my application for the refund was received on 2 February, as they only refund for complete months I have to pay for February as well. I am not over the moon about that but at least I am lucky enough to get free road tax, when most people can't.

 

However they have sent me a V983 asking me to supply the details of the new tax disc as they say;

You are the registered keeper, but you have not told us why you no longer need the tax disc for your vehicle.

We can only pay a refund when we know why you no longer need the tax disc for your vehicle. Fill in the section over the page releveant to you and sign and date the letter and send it to the above address.

 

Note: We will only consider your application when we receive the information we need. We will only pay a refund from the date we receive your response to this letter.

 

Now I do not believe I am being unreasonable about this, I did everything I was supposed to do, re taxed the car, sent the V5 for the taxation class and completed all the forms to get a refund of my old tax disc, which included telling them why I wanted the refund.

 

They must be aware that I have a new tax disc, it was done through the computer at the post office and is fully automated, they have the V5 following the change and I told them why I wanted a refund, so what the hell is going on?

 

To rub salt into the wound they only refund for full months as they won't consider the refund until they receive this document they sent me and it is now March, I will lose another month!

 

So all in all I should not have had to pay in the first place and will now only get a maximum of 3 months tax refunded, assuming they manage to process it before 31st March that is. So in effect my 12 months free road tax has cost me £108.75.

 

Now as I said I appreciate that I get my tax paid for by the state but I do think DVLA are taking the p**s here. I have included a snotty letter with their completed form and now await their response. I am seriously concerned by this and would like to hear if anyone thinks or knows if their is a case for DVLA to answer? Can I do anything about this to recover any of my money?

 

Thanks

[ClampingKing]

Very quickly, DVLA are correct in that they cannot backdate your original tax disc to June because it must be taxed. Although you are now in receipt of DLA again, at the time of taxing the vehicle you were not and thus could not tax it free. A tax disc must be oin the car and thus you bought one.

 

Now you have exemption again, you can tax the car disabled as you have. The tax cannot be backdated so starts from the current month.

 

Tax refund should be calculated from the date you POSTED the application to them, not when they actually received it. If you a proof of posting then you are fine./ if you don't you will lose that as well as they claim to have received it on 2 February.

 

they will not refund from June to January as your free tax disc only starts in January and thus it would mean your car was untaxed from June.

 

I hope that all makes sense. Hopefully you do have the proof of posting, but ion any event the fact that you taxed it at the same time should do really. I am guessing that teh PO sent the V5c AND your old tax disc form off for you rather than you sending the form. Does that sound right?

[Simon7685]

The post office sent the V5, I had already completed the form for the tax refund and I posted that at the same time. Regretably I did not get a proof of posting.

 

I appreciate that I can't do anything about the June to January period but this business of sendign this V983 now, is really annoying. Why are they not aware that the car has been re taxed as disabled when it is done through a computerised system and I also told them myself at the time I requested the refund. It feels almost that they are delaying as long as possible to reduce the amount of the refund they have to give me. It clearly states on the form I have just completed that they will only issue a refund from the time the form is received by them, so that will be March. As they only refund complete months I now lose March. It is a con.

[ClampingKing]

I must ask why you didn't just do all of this back at the local DVLA office as it was near and you had a car this time. It would have made sure the form was correctly completyed and it would have been in their gubby hands in time.

[Simon7685]

I did not do all this at the DVLA office for a number of reasons.

 

1. It is 30 odd miles each way, which is a very uncomfortable drive for me now and ends up causing me a lot of pain.

2. The idea is that you should be able to do these things at a Post Office and not incure additional costs in fuel, which when you have to rely on benefits can be better used.

3. The DVLA should be able to get its act together and sort things like this.

[Simon7685]

I rang DVLA today as I have still not received a refund of my car tax. I went online to DVLA to get the phone number. I rang it and it said, the number you have called has changed!!!!!!!! After eventually getting through I got, a recorded message........ due to strike action we are short staffed, all the lines are busy and cut off!!!!!

 

I tried again and eventually got through, (I wish I hadn't) I was told that they had not issued a refund yet because I had not told them that I was changing the taxation class to Disabled.

 

OK, when I re taxed the vehicle, I did so using DLA 404 to prove my entitlement to disabled taxation. Post Office computers are linked to DVLA, so they should have known.

 

When I sent the V14 it stated I was changing the taxation class and that was why I wanted a refund.

 

When they sent the V983, I stated on that that I was changing the taxation class and also sent a letter which included that I was changing the taxation class to disabled and that was the reason for the refund of the old tax disc.

 

On 17 March I received a shiny new logbook in which they had changed the taxation class to Disabled.

 

So why the hell are they still asking for the information??? The woman I was speaking to was like a robot, reading from a script. She said you need to fax a letter stating that you want to change the taxation class to Disabled, I could not get it through to her that I had done this a number of times already!

 

In the end I asked for an email address to send this letter to, she went away and came back with an address. When I later tried to email it was not a recognised email address and would not send. I eventually found an online means of emailing and duly sent the letter. I have now written to DVLA expressing my dismay, frustration, annoyance and disbelief that I am still waiting for a straight forward refund.

 

Needless to say in the letter I have advised them that I am changing the taxation class to Disabled, hence the request for refund. I repeated this 3 times in the letter!!!

 

So I have now told them on 5 seperate occassions why I have applied for a refund and await what happens next. A refund??? I won't hold my breath!