The Vehicle Excise (Design Weight Certificate) Regulations 1995

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make provision for the issue of design weight certificates and related matters for the purposes of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994.

Part VIII of Schedule 1 to the 1994 Act specifies the rate of vehicle excise duty payable in respect of most classes of goods vehicle by reference to “revenue weight”. “Revenue weight”is defined in section 60A. For certain vehicles it is the design weight. Section 61A enables regulations to make provision for the issue of a certificate ( “design weight certificate”) stating the design weight of a vehicle and for various matters concerning design weight certificates.

Regulation 3

Regulation 3 and the Schedule make provision for applications for a design weight certificate and for the issue of such a certificate following an examination.

Regulation 4

Regulation 4 provides that a design weight certificate is to be conclusive evidence of the design weight of a vehicle at the time of the examination.

Regulation 5

Under section 7(5) of the 1994 Act the Secretary of State can refuse to issue a vehicle excise licence if he is not satisfied that the licence applied for is the appropriate licence for the vehicle in question. Regulation 5 specifies circumstances in which the Secretary of State can require a design weight certificate to be produced before he makes a determination for the purposes of section 7(5).

Regulation 6

Section 60A(5) of the 1994 Act provides that an adaptation reducing the design weight of a vehicle is to be disregarded unless it is a permanent adaptation. Regulation 6 provides that an adaptation is to be treated as permanent if and only if it is an adaptation with respect to which a design weight certificate has been issued.