There's more to the humble tax disc holders you see stuck on the windscreen of cars than you might think. In its simplest form it is merely a plastic envelope designed to hold the circular vehicle excise duty road tax disc, a printed document of a standard size that proves you have paid the tax, and which is required by law to be displayed on the inside of the windscreen at the bottom nearside of the screen. However, tax disc holders can be used for serious marketing and promotional purposes as well.

Most drivers are perfectly happy to place their tax disc into the small plastic holder usually supplied by the motor dealer they bought the car or motorcycle from. This usually means they offer free advertising for that dealer as the tax disc holders supplied free will have the dealer's name, a promotional message or logo prominently displayed on it.

Most drivers don't really care and are not bothered by this, assuming that it's just the way things are. This is good for anyone who wishes to get their name or logo seen by as many people as possible, and more or less for free too. There are many companies who will produce personalised tax disc holders, and they will cater for the small independent dealer and the national vehicle chain, the local charity, insurance company, or the windscreen replacement company - or indeed, any organisation or company who wishes to promote their business through tax disc holders.

Self-adhesive or self clinging tax disc holders made from PVC are the most common types. They can be made in a wide variety of shapes and sizes as long as they can accommodate the circular tax disc document and display it properly. Personalisation of the holder can be achieved through various print options. These include digital and full colour litho, as well as silk screen printing. The most popular shapes are generally circular and shield shaped, with or without pockets.

Conclusion

Since the introduction of a road tax in 1920, designed initially to be used exclusively for road construction costs, tax disc holders have been designed to hold the circular paper document that must be displayed by law. These days the choice of tax disc holders is a wide and varied one, and they can be used for effective marketing and promotional purposes as well.