Commenting on the Public Accounts Committee’s report, which found that Vehicle Excise Duty evasion has risen to 5% in 2006, and that rising numbers of vehicles are not on the DVLA’s databases at all, Sheila Rainger, acting director of the RAC Foundation said:
“VED evasion isn’t just about money – motorists driving without tax are also more likely to be driving uninsured and without an MOT certificate. Responsible motorists are not only picking up the tab for evaders, they are also being put at risk by them.
“The rise in evasion is a wake-up call for better enforcement. Enforcing only from the computer record increases the risk of people dropping out of the system completely and joining the motoring underclass. The Government needs to boost the number of traffic police carrying out on-road crackdowns, so that the motoring underclass and the hard-core tax-dodgers are the ones feeling the pressure, not the law-abiding motorist.”