Tax disc

A tax disc was a form of vehicle licensing used in the United Kingdom. By the late 2000s it was apparently a legal necessity with almost all road vehicles possessing one. The date on them indicated their expiry date and were replaced when that happened.

Ian Chesterton convinced himself that he was back in his own time after seeing White City tube station and a tax disc dated December 1965. (TV: The Chase)

The tax disc on Sarah Jane's car changed often. When fighting the Bane she possessed a purple disc that was due to expire in July 2007 (TV: Invasion of the Bane) despite that date seemingly being long gone. (TV: Aliens of London et al.) Soon after, by the time the school year began it had been replaced by a red disc that was dated September (TV: Revenge of the Slitheen, The Last Sontaran, The Day of the Clown, The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith) although at one point the disc was illegally facing the wrong way. (TV: Eye of the Gorgon) By the time of her second encounter with Mrs Wormwood and the Bane she had replaced the red disc with another of the same colour that had hints of gold numbering which was dated July. (TV: Enemy of the Bane) By 2009 the disc was replaced yet again with one light blue in colour that read September 2009. (TV: Prisoner of the Judoon, The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, The Gift) In 2010 the disc was replaced with a purple one. (TV: The Nightmare Man, Death of the Doctor, The Vault of Secrets) The following year it was replaced a final time with another red one that expired in March 2011. (TV: Sky)