PACKAGE: Could DVLA save £41million?
Improvements to the DVLA could save the government and businesses £41million every year, the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) have argued.
Addressing the Transport Select Committee, the BVRLA claim their package of improvements could save the government £19million per year and businesses a further £22million.
Jay Parmer, Legal and Policy Director at the BVRLA, outlined the main problems placing unnecessary administrative burden on rental and leasing businesses.
According to Mr Parmer, these include the unavailability of electronic notifications, limiting vehicle excise duty (VED) to annual payments and the current cheque-based VED refund process.
“An online portal would be more accurate and efficient, saving both the government and the private sector time and money.”
Jay Parmer, BVRLA
“BVRLA members currently make more than six million separate transactions and payments to the DVLA each year, but more than five million of these involve paper notifications,” said Mr Parmer.
“We believe these cost businesses £10million and the DVLA a further £7million each year.
“An online portal would be more accurate and efficient, saving both the government and the private sector time and money.”
The BVRLA called for the DVLA to invest in a new portal which would allow for electronic notification.
Under the BVRLA’s proposals, fleets would be able to: register a vehicle and receive an electronic file of vehicle registration data; apply, pay and receive refunds for VED via a pre-paid account; and notify DVLA of changes to tax classes, registered addresses and keepers.
The BVRLA also claimed that allowing fleets to purchase tax on a multi-year basis would save businesses up to £5million.
Furthermore, under such conditions, the Chancellor would benefit from £7million in improved cash flow.
An online portal would improve data accuracy, as errors could be spotted and corrected in a timely manner.
This more accurate database would also assist with vehicle recalls and enforcement, and could be used by both the DVLA and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
“Users want a one-stop shop, but don’t always know which agency to go to,” added Mr Parmer.
“There needs to be a more joined-up approach, and our proposals would make the agencies more efficient.
“We’re pleased the Transport Select Committee recognised fleets’ needs and called on the BVRLA to give evidence.”
