Shane Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 This is something that has really been winding me up of late. When I travel to Eastern Europe by car (which I do as often as I can, but not in the supe!)Within a few metres of reaching Austria, I have to buy a tax disk or a "vignette" as it called there, even if I am only in transit and even if I am only there for a few hours. Before you use the Austrian roads you have to have one on your motor, they are sold for various periods, ie. 5, 10 20 days whatever. If you get stopped on an Austrian road without one or with an out of date one you are F*.*ed, big fine, escort to the cash point, loads of hassle. So you carry on through Austria with your tax disk and you get to Hegyshalom in Hungary, guess what? Same again, the fact you can blink a few times and you have crossed the place, it doesn't matter you must have the disk. So you get accross Hungary, get to Nadlac or Cenad in Romania and hey would you believe it you have to buy another one for Romania. In Romania you have to keep the receipt as well or when you get stopped the one you have just bought is invalid and you get done for not having one. I have absolutley no problems with this AT ALL. What I am really having problems with is all the East Europeans that are settling here, driving around on their own plates and not having to pay jack shit to use our roads. But if you forget to renew your tax disk within 14 days of it expiring, tough a fine lands on your mat. If you should park your motor on the road without a tax or with a disk that is 2 months or more out of date it is clamped, towed away and then destroyed! Really winds me up. We are really becoming the soft touch of Europe. No wonder my kids call me Victor! [ANGRY][/ANGRY] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogmaw Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Don't foreign cars have to register for UK plates here if they've been here for 6 months or so? Like they can't have a car here on foreign plates & no UK tax forever can they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 That used to be true, don't know if it still is but doesn't matter, theres no record kept of foreign registrations entering and how long they have been here, it's up to the owner to be lawful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted October 16, 2006 Author Share Posted October 16, 2006 That used to be true, don't know if it still is but doesn't matter, theres no record kept of foreign registrations entering and how long they have been here, it's up to the owner to be lawful. Yes what Simon says is true, most never register as it's not enforced. But, the fact is we allow foreign plated cars here on our roads without tax, whether they are here for an hour or 2 years. One of the "advantages" of the UK road tax system and centralised record system is that it is impossible to tax a car without MOT and insurance and proof of registration records. So with that in mind how many people are now running around with no insurance etc and the police have no way of knowing, or at least in the same way as they do with us? Loads I suspect. We should take a leaf out of their own country's book and make em pay as they arrive, recording their details so if they havn't registered in the 6 months it becomes obvious. Their registration details should be added to the DVLA's database so when the registration No. recognition software fitted to traffic cars now see the unregistered car it flags up. In the same way as it does for our UK registered vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_a Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Not only do they have no tax but they can drive as fast as they like. The address never comes up as we can't run foreign plates and unlike the continental escort to a cash machine they just get the NIP which they ignore. I had to buy Vignettes for the Swiss motorway and we dodged the Austrian one as we avoided the motorways there (the vignettes are motorway only) because we weren't paying for them again. According to a Germany bloke i spoke to Ebay Germany does a cracking trade in Austrian Vignettes as people transfer the spare days for some money back. Do remember thinking at the time it would be a good thing for us to bring in, especially for lorries thundering up and down the country full of foreign diesel so we don't even get duty on that from them. m. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 So go and live in an Eastern European country then. Problem solved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobSheffield Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 So go and live in an Eastern European country then. Problem solved! Pete for Prime Minister 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted October 16, 2006 Author Share Posted October 16, 2006 So go and live in an Eastern European country then. Problem solved! Well I used to, but how would that change things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted October 16, 2006 Author Share Posted October 16, 2006 I had to buy Vignettes for the Swiss motorway and we dodged the Austrian one as we avoided the motorways there (the vignettes are motorway only) because we weren't paying for them again. Yes that's true for Austria and maybe even for Hungary, but not the case in Romania. In fact they only have one real motorway, between Bucuresti and Pitesti, and last time I was on that a shepard was herding his sheep accross it. Wonder if they had tax? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Well I used to, but how would that change things? It'd stop you worrying about people abusing our tax system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted October 16, 2006 Author Share Posted October 16, 2006 It'd stop you worrying about people abusing our tax system. Ha ha, very good. Nah, I would still worry, that's why I came back! Come on though seriously Pete, tell me trully it doesn't bother you and I would be very suprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downimpact Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 I'm just happy my plates are foreign when i drive abroard so cameras don't land me with points and fines. Should i then have road tax refunds from the UK when i'm not in the country with my car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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