13 Trade licences: duration and amount of duty.U.K.
(1)A trade licence may be taken out—
(a)for one calendar year,
(b)for a period of six months beginning with the first day of January or of July, or
(c)where subsection (2) applies, for a period of seven, eight, nine, ten or eleven months beginning with the first day of any month other than January or July [and ending no later than the relevant date].
[(1A)In subsection (1)(c) “the relevant date” means—
(a)in relation to a licence taken out for a period beginning with the first day of any of the months February to June in any year, 31st December of that year;
(b)in relation to a licence taken out for a period beginning with the first day of any of the months August to December in any year, 30th June of the following year.]
(2)This subsection applies where the person taking out the licence—
(a)is not a motor trader or vehicle tester (having satisfied the Secretary of State as mentioned in section 11(1)(b)), or
(b)does not hold any existing trade licence.
(3)The rate of duty applicable to a trade licence taken out for a calendar year [(“the applicable annual rate”)] is—
(a)the annual rate currently applicable to a vehicle under sub-paragraph [(1)(d)] of paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 if the licence is to be used only for vehicles to which that paragraph applies, and
(b)otherwise, the [basic goods vehicle rate currently applicable].
[(3A)Where a trade licence is taken out for a calendar year and the duty is to be paid by more than one instalment pursuant to an agreement under section 19B, the rate of duty is 105% of the applicable annual rate.]
[(4)The rate of duty applicable to a trade licence taken out for a period of 6 months is—
(a)55% of the applicable annual rate for a corresponding trade licence taken out for a calendar year, or
(b)if the duty is to be paid by direct debit pursuant to an agreement under section 19B, 52.5% of that applicable annual rate.]
(5)The rate of duty applicable to a trade licence taken out for a period of seven, eight, nine, ten or eleven months is the aggregate of—
(a)fifty-five per cent. of the [applicable annual rate for a] corresponding trade licence taken out for a calendar year, and
(b)one-sixth of the amount arrived at under paragraph (a) in respect of each month in the period in excess of six.
(6)In determining a rate of duty under [subsection (3A), (4)] or (5) any fraction of five pence—
(a)if it exceeds two and a half pence, shall be treated as five pence, and
(b)otherwise, shall be disregarded.
[(7)In this section “the basic goods vehicle rate” means the annual rate applicable, by virtue of sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 9 of Schedule 1, to a rigid goods vehicle which—
(a). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(b)falls within column (3) of the table in that sub-paragraph and has a revenue weight exceeding 3,500 kilograms and not exceeding 7,500 kilograms.]