Motorists are to be hit with automatic £80 fines under a new government crackdown on car tax dodgers, it was announced today.

Under the plans set out by transport minister David Jamieson today, motorists will get two weeks to renew their tax discs after they expire - otherwise the fine will arrive in the post. Persistent non-payers will be prosecuted and fined a minimum of £1,000. Under the new system, fines will be issued on the basis of computerised tax records. There will be no need for police or cameras to spot an unlicensed vehicle.

There are currently estimated to be around one million unlicensed vehicles on the road. According to the government, these are frequently abandoned, involved in criminal activity and often uninsured. The overall cost of uninsured driving is said to be around £500m - adding up to £30 to the annual insurance premium of the average motorist.

Mr Jamieson said: "Vehicle crime is estimated to cost the economy £3bn each year and accounts for more than a quarter of all reported crime. It is an expensive burden on the honest citizen.

"By ensuring vehicles do not fall out of the registration system, we can reduce the number of unlicensed and often uninsured vehicles on the road, tackling car abandonment and bringing dishonest motorists to book. These new measures will protect the majority of honest and responsible motorists, make the system more secure and make the offenders pay."

The automatic fine will come into force next January and the public will be consulted on the proposed level of £80 later this year.

Mr Jamieson also unveiled a new hotline for people to report car tax evaders. The hotline, piloted in London, will allow motorists and pedestrians to report vehicles seen on the road without a valid tax disc.