Public Servant Lifestyle

Fancy a paperless car tax remewal? Jodie Kidd does it in five minutes flat online, with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Supermodel and car enthusiast Jodie Kidd has unveiled another quick and easy way for Swansea motorists to tax their cars. Jodie, the face of DVLAs new online and telephone tax disc renewal service, is visiting Swansea to demonstrate how simple it is for motorists to tax their cars.

They can do so wherever or whenever they want without the need for supporting documentation such as MOT and insurance certificates. Tax discs will be dispatched by post and received within three to five working days. Car tax renewals will continue to be available at the Post Office.

Choice

Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, said: "People now have a choice, they can renew their licence at the Post Office, or on the phone or online. This new service is designed to make life easier for people to relicense, giving them the choice and flexibility that best suits their needs."

DVLA Chief Executive, Clive Bennett said: “Car tax online or by telephone is designed to make the process of relicensing easier and more convenient. Our customers will now be able to renew their car tax from home or even abroad, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This demonstrates the significant progress that DVLA has made in improving the provision and accessibility of its service. It is also an important part of the Agency’s contribution to the wider initiative to modernise Government.”

The new service, created in response to customer demand, demonstrates how DVLA is modernising its services to fit in with changing lifestyles. A recent DVLA poll of the UK driving public revealed that 64 per cent of Swansea motorists said they would apply for their road tax online if they could2. A further 34 per cent of people admitted that the ease of an online or telephone car tax facility will mean that they are more likely to re-license on time.

Car enthusiast Jodie Kidd - who also visited the crew of the Royal Navy's HMS Ocean to help publicise the new scheme - said: “This service is great news for busy people like myself who often find it impossible to complete chores such as renewing a tax disc during a busy working week. Being able to relicense my car wherever and whenever will make the process much easier and not having to search for all my documents is a real bonus!”

Aside from petrol-headed supermodels, the service seems likely to be welcomed by numerous motorists. New research, conducted by DVLA, has revealed:

64% of local people said they would apply for their road tax online if they could

68% of motorists in Swansea have admitted to avoiding or delaying paying bills or renewing car tax because they can’t find the necessary paperwork, or couldn’t face travelling to do it

51% of people questioned in Swansea said bill paying online meant they completed transactions on time while 34% of people admitted that the car tax on line facility would mean they’re more likely to complete the transaction on time

66% of Swansea motorists prefer to pay bills or carry out household administration tasks online at weekends or in the evening, when traditional bill paying locations are closed

The service, which takes less than five minutes to complete, can be used by owners of cars less than three years old - those that don’t require an MOT certificate. Those with cars over three years old will need to ensure they have a computerised MOT certificate which are available at most MOT garages in Great Britain.

The DVLA will automatically send an invitation to vehicle owners when their car tax is due for renewal, together with a unique reference number to complete their transaction online. Tax discs will be dispatched by post and received within three to five working days. Those who do not wish to use the new service will still be able to renew their tax at the Post Office.

The DVLA has run pilot tests of the new service since February 2004. To date, 1m British drivers have successfully relicensed using it. It is anticipated that 11m people will have used the service by 2007, and 19m by 2008.

To use the new service, simply log on to: www.direct.gov.uk/taxdisc or use the phone line: 0870 850 4444.

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