Guinness label tax discs

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poplargreg
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Guinness label tax discs

Post by poplargreg »

Most people know of the tale that drivers and riders avoided paying road tax by using a Guinness label. I always thought that this story was apocryphal - they are oval after all, with a harp and Mr Guinness' signature and don't bear any resemblance to a tax disc at all. So when I was asked to do one for an oily rag bike a few years ago, I did a bit of research.

From 1921 until 1960, you could buy a 3 month (quarterly) disc, which was very useful for spreading the cost over the year. They expired in March, June, September and December and were in random colours of varying intensity (blue, green, grey, pink, red and yellow). They were of a very similar design to the first 1921 annual disc, bearing no resemblance to the current annual disc of the year. The printed part was black, the background colour provided by using coloured paper.

So at the end of each three month period, Mr Plod leaned on his bike checking the colour of your disc as you passed. Now, Guinness labels were originally round, tax disc size and of a simple design printed in black on white or buff paper - no harp or signature and at a distance very similar to a tax disc. The scam was to soak one off a bottle, use a crayon to change the background to the appropriate colour and put it in the holder. As long as it looked ok from a distance, the driver wouldn't be stopped and the "tax disc" scrutinised.

Wasn't that interesting? Mrs Powell thought not.
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kernow kid
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Re: Guinness label tax discs

Post by kernow kid »

And now we don't need one at all!
But can we still buy the Guinness anyway??
It's a handy excuse 👍 :beer:
kk
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MikeM.
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Re: Guinness label tax discs

Post by MikeM. »

Guinness is still available though I haven't seen the advert with the man carrying a massive girder one handed of late😎
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Expat
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Re: Guinness label tax discs

Post by Expat »

Is it still good for you? :D
Keep shiny side up.

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poplargreg
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Re: Guinness label tax discs

Post by poplargreg »

Not as good as Murphy's
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GOLDSTAR
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Re: Guinness label tax discs

Post by GOLDSTAR »

My W/ng sports one, 'twas there when I purchased the bike and in Ireland last year on the Irish national it was photographed without my knowledge and now appears as first pic on one of the series of photo's of the event on the net. kind regards
and yes I prefer Murphy's
pkr87
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Re: Guinness label tax discs

Post by pkr87 »

Perhaps in the lovely Green Isle a Guinness label is legal tender!
Andy51
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Re: Guinness label tax discs

Post by Andy51 »

Back in the '70s in Northern Ireland we used to drink Morton's Red Heart Guinness (as far as I know, only available there) - don't think you could use their labels as they had a large red heart in the middle! Andy
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