taxation class query

[tonyg3nwl]

Have just received form to renew tax, and notice that taxation class is listed as private light goods.

Surely it should be motorhome, or am I dreaming

 

Stargazer on fiat 2300 engine base vehicle.

 

havent noticed it before.

 

Also quote from cmc for insurance just a bit pricy at 99999.OO pounds. Dont think that is affordable.

 

someone has digititus in their fingers.

 

comments?

 

Tonyg3nwl

 

 

 

 

 

[colin]

You are dreaming

[Derek Uzzell]

tonyg3nwl - 2018-03-09 7:08 PM

 

Have just received form to renew tax, and notice that taxation class is listed as private light goods.

Surely it should be motorhome, or am I dreaming..

 

 

The majority of UK-registered motor caravans with a maximum overall weight not exceeding 3500kg will be ‘vehicle-taxed’ in Tax Class TC11 (Private/Light Goods Vehicles) and the present annual rates are shown here

 

https://tinyurl.com/lch9j5s

 

A motor caravan with a maximum overall weight exceeding 3500kg should be ‘vehicle taxed’ in Tax Class TC10 (Private HGV) and the present annual rate is shown here

 

https://tinyurl.com/kxvbnpy

 

Assuming that your Stargazer’s maximum overall weight does not exceed 3500kg, within Section 4 (Vehicle Details) of its V5C registration document Field "D.5 Body Type" should contain “MOTOR CARAVAN” and Field “[X] Taxtion Class” should contain “PRIVATE/LIGHT GOODS (PLG)”

 

For more comprehensive information, plenty of light reading here

 

http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/search/query.asp?action=search&searchforumid=all&keywords=private%2Flight+goods&author=&days=&Submit=Search

[Basil]

As a slight aside to this and Derek's comprehensive (as is usual) answer. I posted under another query regarding a PVC not registered as a Motor Caravan, when I had my V5 updated to Motor Caravan category it was stated by DVLA that the taxation class could not be altered from the original stated on the V5 which was Light Goods Vehicle, so the VED for the PVC in my case is £240 i.e. a slight saving of £5 over PLG.

 

Bas

[Derek Uzzell]

Bas

 

Plainly the DVLA is able to change a vehicle’s original tax class, as this is regularly necessary when the maximum overall weight of a motorhome originally taxed in TC11 (Private/Light Goods) is ‘uprated’ to above 3500kg and the motorhome needs to be reclassified into TC10 (Private HGV). Similarly vice versa, when the maximum overall weight of a motorhome originally taxed in TC10 (Private HGV) is ‘downrated’ to 3500kg (or lower) and the motorhome needs to be reclassified into TC11 (Private/Light Goods).

 

The DVLA’s guidance on vehicle tax classes is here

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/605333/v355x1-notes-about-tax-classes.pdf

 

and it will be seen that the Private/Light Goods (PLG) and Private/HGV classes (TC11 and TC10 respectively) are both appropriate to vehicles used ‘privately’. Conversely, the Light Goods Vehicle class (TC39) makes no mention of ‘private’ usage. Motor caravans SHOULD be in TC10 or TC11, whereas the TC39 Light Goods Vehicle class SHOULD be reserved for ‘commercial’ vehicles only.

 

Although your vehicle may have “Motor Caravan” shown on its V5C in the D.5 Body Type field, it’s still a goods vehicle as far as its tax class is concerned. I’m reasonably confident that, if you pushed the DVLA over this conflict, pointing out that the vehicle is not "designed for the carriage of goods” and should be in TC11 not TC39, they would (eventually!) agree to reclassify it.

 

At present, although you are saving a fiver a year, there are potential implications (insurance, speed limits, etc.) regarding your motorhome being in the ‘wrong’ tax class and a potential problem should you decide to sell it. Personally, if I noticed that a motorhome were taxed in TC39, I wouuld not consider buying it unless the mismatch were corrected first.

[Basil]

Thanks for your reply Derek, I will, once again, attempt to get it altered as I completely agree that there could at some point be a problem. I am only concerned with the legal aspects as this will be the last van I will own so there will be no worry, for me, regarding selling!

I will report back on here after I have spoken to them.

 

Bas

[Derek Uzzell]

1: Do NOT attempt to resolve this by phone - use the DVLA’s email facility

 

https://tinyurl.com/y9zp94ou

 

and take a copy of the text you send them.

 

2: Make certain that your email to the DVLA is succinct and complete. Don’t ask them if your V5C is correct as it stands - tell them it is wrong and that your “MOTOR CARAVAN” should be in the Private/Light Goods (PLG) TC11 tax class, not in the Light Goods Vehicle TC39 tax class.

 

3: Appreciate that your initial response from the DVLA is likely to be provided by one of their ‘clerical’ staff whose job wil normally be to deal quickly with simple enquiries. If what you are told is unconvincing, challenge the advice.

 

4: You may need to go backwards and forwards with the DVLA more than once (or even more than twice) but if you persist your enquiry should eventually be passed upwards to someone who deals with more complicated matters.

 

5: You may need to provide the DVLA with evidence that your Autocruise Stargazer actually is a “Motor Caravan”. It should be obvious from photos of a 2009 Autocruise Stargazer (example attached) that the model is a ‘proper’ motor caravan. If you send the DVLA front/rear/side photos of your vehicle clearly showing its number plate, that should prove that an error was made when your vehicle was first registered.

[Brian Kirby]

Derek Uzzell - 2018-03-11 1:55 PM

 

1: Do NOT attempt to resolve this by phone - use the DVLA’s email facility

 

https://tinyurl.com/y9zp94ou

 

and take a copy of the text you send them........................................

I agree with this advice. However, my recent (Nov 2017) experience of dealing with DVLA via e-mail was that their system does not automatically copy back to you your query (when you "send" it, it disappears off screen never to be seen again by you!) and neither do they automatically include your original query with their reply.

 

You may need to pursue this with them by 'phone. I did, and was advised that the reason was data protection - in case the reply might go to the wrong address and might contain personal information. Hmmmmm! :-D

 

I was advised that if one requests within one's query that one's text be included with the reply they will do this, but my informant had authority to mark my correspondence to that effect, and at my request did so. After that a) I requested the text of the query be included with the reply, and b) that happened. However, I don't know whether this was due to my written request to do so, or because of my informant's intervention! Never easy is it? :-)

[tonyg3nwl]

Thanks for the comprehensive responses from everyone.

 

I have renewed the tax on line, at 240 pounds, .

 

one potential complication is that the registration number is a personal plate! And not the original registration number. Historically as far as I can trace, the very first owner also had it on a personal plate info gleaned from service records,, but presumably when he sold it, it was allocated a date relevant registration, so when I bought it , I arranged for the 09 plate to be changed to my personal plate.

 

I dont wish to complicate the issue any further.

 

tonyg3nwl

 

[Derek Uzzell]

That’s obviously your choice.

 

It’s the wrong choice as your Stargazer is clearly incorrectly taxed and you are paying £5 less per year than you should. And, as far as the DLVA and the police are concerned, you are driving a goods vehicle not a privately-owned motor caravan.

 

If you can’t be bothered to sort out the error on your motorhome’s V5C so be it - let’s hope your decision does not come back to haunt you.

[Brian Kirby]

Now I'm puzzled! Tony originally said "taxation class is listed as private light goods", which is the correct TC 11 taxation class for a motorhome of 3,500kg or under MAM.

 

So, does Tony mean he has in fact paid £245 and not £240 as he says (i.e. a typo), or did he originally mean that his Stargazer is in taxation class TC39, described as a Light Goods Vehicle, in which case the £240 VED is correct, but the van is in the wrong taxation class? Tony?

[Derek Uzzell]

There are two protagonists in this thread - Tony, whose Stargazer’s V5C is probably correct, and Basil, whose PVC’s V5C indicates that the vehicle is registered in the Light Goods Vehicle tax class despite the V5C having “Motor Caravan” on it.

 

Basil is paying £240 annually (correct for a Light Goods Vehicle) whereas Tony should be paying £245 for a vehicle registered in the Private/Light Goods Vehicle tax class.

 

The DVLA system would not allow Basil to pay £245, nor Tony to pay £240, so Tony’s mention of £240 is (as you suggest might be the case) probably just a typo.

[tonyg3nwl]

Sorry typo, 245 was paid.

 

tony

now have to sort insurance.

 

caravan club quoted 999999.00 pounds , so a bit too expensive. Turned out that was an error, (surprise, surprise), And apologies received. Revised quote awaited by post.

 

aib quoted on phone, but written quote awaited,

currently with camping Caravan club, renewal quote awaited.

 

Caravan Club "guarantee" to undercut other quotes by 25 pounds for club members..

, so await to see if that is really true..

 

tony

 

[Basil]

Having now spoken to DVLA apparently you can only change your Taxation Class at the time of renewal of your VED, it was pointed out to me that this is stated on the V5.

My options then are to either wait until my next renewal or SORN the vehicle, probably on the last day of the month, and get a rebate for remaining full months VED, then re-tax the vehicle at the new rate and with a change of class but by going to a Post Office that deals with VED as we have no local DVLA offices in our area anymore and it cannot be done on line or over the phone!

Not sure which route to take currently.

 

 

Bas

[Basil]

tonyg3nwl - 2018-03-12 4:51 PM

 

Caravan Club "guarantee" to undercut other quotes by 25 pounds for club members..

, so await to see if that is really true..

 

tony

 

Yes they do but watch out next year as the renewal rockets so you end up changing again, happened to me.

I decided that I would only go with the company that quoted the best price first time and didn't try to barter after me saying I had got a better quote elsewhere. As you get older insurance becomes more difficult to arrange cheaply so I am trying to stick with the best quote I get and remain with them (until they up it heavily of course).

 

Bas

[fedex]

After reading this problem on an earlier thread, I checked my V5 and it also showed Light Goods vehicle. I own a 2006 IH Oregon R fiat ducato pvc which was converted from new. I phoned the DVLA and they told me to return my V5 with a covering letter and photos of the outside and inside of the van and a photo of the outside including registration plate, I also photo copied some of the original literature. I sent it off registered post two weeks ago and this morning received a new V5 showing that it is now registered as a motorhome. My van was taxed when i sent the info off, hope this helps anybody else in a similar position.