So sorn at end of month, tax at first! Got it!
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Taxed mine last Wednesday, took it out for a short 20 minute spin on Saturday to check things over. Man did it feel good
It’s done this way so when vehicles change owners they get 13 months’ tax in that year; both the seller and the buyer pay tax on the month of the sale. Unless you do it on the 31st.
I like the concept of SORN, I just wish it was a simple PAYG system. I have two bikes and one car, none of which are used very much. I would love a system where I just pay for the days they are on the road. It should be automatic too: register an account, give card details and ANPR clocks the plate and bills your account for that day.
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While ANPR cameras do catch some people, I rode around for over 6 months on a bike that was technically uninsured due to a G being mixed up for a J on the plate.
3 times a week I commuted through central London (including the Square Mile) and even left the country and came back in and nothing got flagged.
It’s a valid point. Setting up the Congestion Charge Zone infrastructure cost a fortune. Rolling that out nationwide would be impossible.
Maybe that’s why we have the SORN system in its current guise. It is just convenient enough to do large winter off-road notifications but not convenient enough to do daily PAYG declarations which would have to be on an honour basis and open to abuse, and simple forgetfulness.
The answer will probably come as tracking tech continues to cost less and less.
Would I subscribe to a DVLA tracker if it allowed my Sunday jaunts to be paid for on a much cheaper PAYG formula? That raises all sorts of Big Brother questions.
If the Government pull in less revenue from Vehicle Licensing they’ll have to increase taxes elsewhere to cover the loss…
…and if they introduce an ANPR or tracker system then that’s just another cost to be covered, from where?
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
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You know the answer to get more value from your VED? Yup… use your vehicle more! 
Especially the bikes… 
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